Out of the Smoke
by Annise
Summary: The Hidden village of Smoke, Konoha's ally, is in trouble, and Umatatsu Sharino comes to Konoha seeking aid. Kakashi and his team of Genin are quickly dispatched to help, but there is more to the attacks on the Smoke village than they have guessed...
1. Out of the Smoke

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters therein.

AN: This story is supposed to read like an extra story arc in the manga/anime. It's action/adventure, with a lot of the stuff you'd expect in Naruto. There are no spoilers for anything that comes after the Chuunin exams in the anime, though it's set just after the Wave country story. I hope you enjoy it!

Many many thanks to Shounen Suki who helped me a lot with translations, names and proof-reading.

**-------------------------**

**1- Out of the Smoke**

Sharino entered the village and looked around. Konoha did not look at all like she had been expecting. She had expected something somewhat like her own home village; a drab place where all the people bore scars and faces that looked out with dead eyes on a world that, to them, was filled only with war. But in Konoha, children played in the streets. Adults sat watching with smiles on their faces while they guarded stalls filled with rich foods and a refreshing breeze rustled through the hundreds of trees that seemed to be everywhere. It really was beautiful. Sharino fell in love with the place as soon as she saw it.

Within a few metres of her crossing the borders into the land of Konoha, Sharino heard the whispering of rushing air and dropped to her knees, taking her Katana from her back and placing it on the ground in front of her. She bowed low, her face almost to the floor as she accosted the three ninja that now surrounded her.

"Forgive me," she said. "I know I am not an invited visitor to this village, but I come on an urgent mission from my home village. I wish to speak with Hatake Kakashi." She kept her head down, looking at the floor. One of the ninja came forward. He crouched down next to her and she saw that he was wearing dark blue with a green sleeveless over-jacket. A mask covered his face and his forehead protector was pulled down over one eye.

"I am Kakashi," he said. Sharino looked up into his face, comparing him to the description she had been given. Then she bowed again.

"Kakashi-dono, I have been sent here by my father, the leader of the hidden village of Smoke. My name is Umatatsu Sharino. We need your help."

The three ninja were silent, but Sharino saw a look of shock in Kakashi's eye. He obviously remembered the Umatatsu clan.

"Kakashi," said another voice next to her. Sharino looked sideways out of the corner of her eye, and saw another ninja standing beside him who was wearing the same uniform. Kakashi nodded to him.

"Genma, take her to the Hokage. I will be there shortly." With that Kakashi disappeared, leaving Genma and the other ninja with Sharino.

---

Kakashi was late as usual, and even Sasuke was beginning to look impatient as the three members of his team of Genin waited on the bridge for their ever-tardy Sensei to arrive. It had been well over two hours.

"Sorry I'm late," Kakashi said as he appeared, seemingly out of nowhere on the bridge. The team waited for one of his endless supply of ridiculous excuses, but none came. Instead, Kakashi looked unusually thoughtful.

"Unfortunately, I have been called away urgently and I may have a mission," he said. Naruto was the first to say something, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi and shouting at him.

"We have to wait for hours for you and then you have a mission! What kind of mission!" Kakashi was by his side in an instant.

"Naruto, this is important. I do not yet have the details, but lives may depend on it. I am sorry." Sasuke's expression was inscrutable, but Sakura looked a little annoyed. Before any of them could launch any other complaints, Kakashi was gone, leaving his team staring in confusion at the spot where he had just stood.

---

The Hokage sat at the desk in his office smoking his pipe while Sharino made her case. Her father was in need of aid against a band of raiders and Missing-Nin who had been terrorizing the village for some time. The village was small, with a correspondingly small number of ninja, and they were suffering.

"The Missing-Nin vary in ability from weak Genin to Jounin. There are at least 40 of them in total. We have managed to hold our own until now, but last week one of the best Jounin of our village was killed on his way back from a mission. My father sent me to seek help from Konoha." Sandaime nodded and took a long puff of his pipe.

"I am afraid we have little to offer you by way of aid… Most of our Jounin are out on missions."

"Hokage-sama, I would like to request this mission for myself and my team."

"This an A-rank mission, Kakashi. Far beyond your three Genin," The Hokage said.

"They proved themselves to be most capable during our mission to the country of the Wave and they have all grown enormously. This mission may be beyond them if they were on their own, but I believe that with their help, I could help the Smoke." The Hokage raised an eyebrow.

"I agree that it is important to help the Smoke village, so I will allow this, but as soon as another team becomes available, we will send them to back you up." Sharino bowed to the Hokage.

"Thank you so much, Hokage-sama. Any assistance you can offer is greatly appreciated." At the back of the room, Genma stepped forward from where he had been standing silently, listening.

"Hokage-sama, if you will permit it, I would like to accompany Kakashi and Sharino." From where she stood, Sharino examined this ninja for the second time. His forehead protector was tied over his head like a scarf and was actually on backwards, with the knot at his forehead. Brown hair poked out from under it to frame his face. He carried a toothpick in his mouth. Sharino could tell from the way he carried himself that he was a strong ninja.

"We do need some Jounin left in the village," said the Hokage. Genma nodded and bowed, but he didn't step back.

"Of course, Hokage-sama, but the Umatatsu clan are known to me and I wish to help them and, perhaps repay my debt to them, if I can." Sharino raised an eyebrow and turned back to the Hokage, who seemed to be considering this very carefully.

"Very well, Genma, you may go as well. Kakashi, you may leave as soon as you are ready."

---

Kakashi found Naruto, as he had known he would, at the Ichiraku Ramen, enjoying a second helping of his favourite meal. Sharino had come with him, and when she saw the boy in the orange outfit she was not impressed, like most who saw Naruto for the first time. However, she had heard a lot about Kakashi and knew that if he said someone was capable, then they probably were.

"Naruto, finish that quickly, we have an important mission."

Naruto started and spun around. When he saw Sharino, he viewed her suspiciously. He took in the Katana, the long hunting knife in a scabbard at her side, and her forehead protector, which belonged to a village he had not seen before. It was three vertical, parallel wavy lines. Her hair was brown and shoulder length, worn loose except for where it was held down by her forehead protector. Her clothes were simple, a plain black long-sleeved tunic, maroon bandages around her waist with the ends hanging loose down her back, perfectly fitted black trousers and black sandals. She wore finger-less gloves with metal plates on the backs of her hands and guards on her forearms and shins. The expression on her face was grim and somewhat world-weary, and her green eyes were constantly alert. Yet, looking at her face and height, she could not have been more than two years older than Naruto was.

"Who are you?" he asked her.

"I am Umatatsu Sharino," she replied, "nice to meet you." Naruto looked at Kakashi and then back to the newcomer.

"Is she coming on the mission too?" he said. Kakashi nodded.

"Go and pack. And if you see Sasuke or Sakura on your way, tell them we are leaving on a mission immediately. We meet at the village gates as soon as you are ready." Naruto's face showed a mixture of confusion and excitement, but he quickly nodded to his Sensei and ran off down the street.

Sharino watched him go, then turned to Kakashi.

"The other on your team, Sasuke; is that the Uchiha Sasuke?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"I am surprised that you have heard of him, so far away," he said. Sharino smiled.

"My father spoke very highly of the Uchiha clan, when I was a child. When he was last here, about four years ago, it was around the time of that terrible event." Kakashi nodded sadly.

"He was the only survivor," he replied.

---

It was just an hour later when the six assembled, ready to leave the village. Kakashi was last to arrive, as usual, and he paused to examine his companions' faces. Sharino looked anxious; his Genin looked confused but expectant. After a moment, he nodded to Sharino and they started on their way to the village of Smoke.

They took off through the forest at a reasonably fast pace. Sharino kept her silence, except to occasionally confer with the two Konoha Jounin. Kakashi and Genma seemed to have contracted Sharino's sombre mood, and were quiet also. The group raced through the forest, hardly saying anything until they stopped in the evening to rest. When they did stop, Naruto went over to where Sakura was drinking, and sat down next to her.

"Sakura-chan," he said, glancing over at Sharino to check that she was not watching. "Have you ever heard of the village of Smoke before?" Sakura nodded. He knew that since they had got back from their mission to the Wave country, she had done some research into the other hidden villages and their ninja.

"It's a small village in a relatively small country. It is said that it was founded at the same time as Konoha, by a relative of the First and Second Hokage's. They have always been on good terms with Konoha, and it is said they even lent some of their ninja to Konoha to fight in various battles over the years." Naruto nodded.

"Who is Umatatsu Sharino?" he said. Sakura shook her head.

"How would I know?" she said, annoyed. "Just because I've heard of the village, doesn't mean I know every ninja within it!" Naruto looked back at the girl who was sat with Kakashi and the other Jounin, discussing the mission. He saw the way that Kakashi and Genma were treating the foreign ninja with respect and knew that she must be more powerful than she looked.


	2. Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast

**2- Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast to the Rescue!**

Gai watched with pride as his team quickly dispatched the thieves that had tried to attack their ward, a man who was good friends with the Fire country's Feudal Lord. He hadn't even needed to move from his client's side. Tenten launched three kunai with her usual deadly accuracy, pinning one of the attackers to a tree by the sleeves of his shirt. Neji had knocked a second down; injuring him with a sharp attack that had been just too fast for the untrained man to combat. The third tumbled to the floor after being struck by Lee's 'Konoha whirlwind'. They made a good team, despite the less than friendly rivalry between Neji and Lee.

All in all, their client seemed very happy with the result. They were nearly at their destination, and this was the only major incident they had had. As the three incapacitated robbers complained heartily, Neji and Lee tied them up so that they didn't attack again as soon as they moved on.

"Good work!" Their client exclaimed, clapping them. Lee and Tenten smiled, but Neji remained stone-faced as usual. He seemed to always view these missions as below him. Perhaps they were, but Neji's attitude could be more than a little annoying, especially as his cutting remarks always bit deeply into Lee. Lee had worked so hard over the past year that he was barely even comparable to the almost useless boy he had been when he started his life as a Genin. Yet Neji barely even recognised that Lee was becoming stronger. Every time Lee made some progress, Neji would always come right back with his constant gibing; 'a dropout is a dropout.'

The five of them once more continued on their way. Gai had initially thought the mission strange, as they were escorting their client into a country that had its own hidden village and its own ninja. However, now that they were in the country of Flame, he could see some evidence of recent battles. Evidently the hidden village of Smoke was having some difficulties.

"Neji," said Gai. The silver-eyed Genin looked round at his Jounin Sensei with an unreadable expression on his face. Neji occasionally looked at him with barely concealed contempt and disrespect, but Gai did not care. He didn't have to prove himself to his Genin, only to himself. "Use your Byakugan to scan the surrounding areas," he said. Neji nodded and closed his eyes, joining his hands in a seal.

"Byakugan!" he said, and the vein-like appearance surrounded the Genin's eyes as he looked around him. Lee looked around to see what had alerted his Sensei to the possibility of more trouble and saw a Kunai lodged in a tree, and disturbed ground in a clearing just off the road that suggested recent ninja activity. His heart swelled with pride that his Sensei had spotted those signs so quickly.

"Neji? What is it?" said Gai. Neji was squinting into the forest, seeing something which ordinary eyes could not see.

"A group of ninja, from various villages," Neji said. "They are camping in the forest."

"Are they anywhere near our destination?" Gai asked, frowning at his Genin. Neji shook his head.

"They are well away from the road. We should be able to avoid them, as long as we keep an eye on their location," Neji replied, looking back at Gai again. Gai nodded.

"Then please do so," the Jounin requested. "I don't like the feel of this country. Something is happening here."

---

Genma had gone ahead of the group as a scout, while the other five rested by a stream, drinking the cool sweet water and catching their breath. Sharino was explaining how the trouble in their village had started.

"The first attack was on a team of four Chuunin who were on their way back from a mission. They were ambushed by five of the Missing-Nin without any provocation. Two of the Chuunin were severely injured. All of them were lucky to escape.

"After that, the attacks came frequently. Almost every mission we sent out was attacked by a group of them. Sometimes the attackers were mere Genin and were easily defeated, but many resulted in our ninja being badly hurt. A few have been killed, including my brother." Sharino paused, staring sadly into the stream for a moment, before continuing.

"The most recent case was an escort mission. They made it to their destination and we received word that Kenshin, one of the strongest ninja in our village, was returning. When he didn't come back, a team, including myself, was sent out to find out what had happened to him. We found him hanging from a tree. He had been tortured before he died." They all looked sombre as they listened to Sharino's tale. Naruto looked shocked, his blue eyes wide with compassion as he listened in silence.

"Why did they torture him?" Sasuke asked, his voice gentle. Sakura looked a little shocked by the question, but Sharino didn't seem to mind.

"We are not certain, but we believe they are looking for something that the village of Smoke possesses," she told them.

"Do you know what it is?" Kakashi asked. Sharino shook her head sadly.

"We do not know of anything that we have that would warrant an attack of this level. If we did, then maybe we would not be in the trouble we are in."

At that moment Genma returned. "The path ahead seems clear, but there are some signs of recent activity in the area. We should proceed with caution," he said. Kakashi nodded.

"Yeah."

Standing, they put their packs on and continued quickly on their way through the forest.

---

Gai and his team reached their destination with no further trouble, though Neji kept a wary eye on the camping ninja. Soon, paid and rested after their client treated them to a good meal at the village's best restaurant, they started on their way back to Konoha.

They hadn't gotten very far when one of Neji's glances around them discovered someone coming their way.

"It's a single ninja, with a cat of some kind," he said. "But he's heading directly toward us." Alarmed, Gai had them hide in the bushes by the roadside until they could ascertain this ninja's intentions.

A minute or two later, the ninja appeared on the road in front of where they were hiding. He looked around for a moment and was about to head off again when the cat made a move towards the bushes where they were hiding. Knowing that he had been found, Gai signalled to his team and they jumped out to surround the newcomer, while Tenten jumped up into a tree so that she would have a better view of her target if she had to attack.

The newcomer dropped to his knees, raising his hands to either side of him to show he was not a threat.

"I am an ally of Konoha," he said. Gai looked for a forehead protector, but the ninja did not seem to be wearing one. Then Lee pointed to the cat.

"The cat is wearing the forehead protector as a collar. It is not a village I recognise," he said. Gai looked at it.

"The village of Smoke," he said. "Neji?" Neji's eyes returned to normal and he nodded.

"His eyes show he is telling the truth," the Hyuuga replied. Gai nodded and looked over the newcomer. He had a short sword in a scabbard at his belt and an armoured shoulder protector, although his other shoulder was bare, with the symbol for 'cat' tattooed on it. He also wore a blue belt around his waist, and elbow-length black gloves. His hair was long and red, part hanging loose and part sticking up, surrounding his head like a halo of flame. His eyes were yellow and cat like, though a mask of bandages covered most of the rest of his face.

"I am Nekozaki Nekoya, from the Hidden Village of Smoke. You are the aid sent from Konoha, aren't you? Where is Sharino?" Gai frowned.

"Sharino? We were here on an escort mission. Who is Sharino?" Lee said. Nekoya looked confused for a moment and looked at his cat. The cat looked at him, mewing. Nekoya nodded and looked back at Gai.

"I am sorry. It seems I got over-excited when I heard that there were Konoha ninja nearby. Sharino is from my village, she was sent to Konoha to find help. Our village is under attack."

"The ninja we saw in the forest," Neji said. Nekoya looked at the white-eyed boy curiously and nodded.

"Gai-sensei! If these are Konoha's allies, could we not help?" Lee said, enthusiastic as always.

"We should return to Konoha, to consult the Hokage…" Gai started.

"Sharino was sent to find Hatake Kakashi… she should be returning very soon," Nekoya said. At the mention of Kakashi, Gai's frown changed into a bright grin.

"If Kakashi is coming, then I will help also. It would not do to run away in the face of my eternal rival!" he said. Neji and Tenten rolled their eyes silently, but Lee at once followed his Sensei's jumping around with excitement.

In one of his typically dramatic poses, Gai pointed in the direction that Nekoya had come.

"To the Hidden Smoke!" He said. Lee jumped up straight and saluted.

"Roger!" he shouted. Neji looked at them both as though they were dirt under his shoe.


	3. Cloud and Stone and Grass

AN: This is the first real action sequence of the story (though not the last). ShounenSuki translated all my jutsu names (as well as helping with the use of honorifics and names of my original characters), so many thanks and hugs to him!

Throughout the story I've sort of assumed the readers know the names of the commonly used jutsu and names… for those that don't know; 'Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu' means _fire element: grand fireball technique_. Kage Bunshin no jutsu is shadow replication.Kawarimi is the replacement technique. Henge is the transformation technique. I don't use all of them here, but I do later on… so I thought I'd say. I hope you enjoy!

**3- Cloud and Stone and Grass**

Sharino was leading the group as they entered the country of Flame and neared the places where the Smoke Shinobi had previously been attacked. She warned them to be on the lookout for traps, so all of them were especially cautious, except perhaps Naruto. They had made excellent time on their journey, but Sharino was still anxious to get back as soon as possible.

They paused to catch their breath once more, and this time Kakashi went ahead to scout.

When Kakashi returned sooner than they expected him to, they became instantly alert. Kakashi motioned for them all to hide. Someone was coming. Sharino's Katana was in her hand before anyone saw her move, and the six of them disappeared into the bushes. In the clearing where they had sat, there were some signs of their presence, but Kakashi could not see anything that would indicate where they were.

As he had made his way ahead of the group, he had seen four of the Missing-Nin headed their way. He had no idea of their ability and he had no intention of getting the team into a fight they could not win.

The enemy group appeared in the clearing. The oldest looking had a forehead protector showing that he was originally from the Hidden village of Cloud. Another was from the Stone village, another from Grass. The youngest was not much older than Naruto and was also originally from the Cloud village. They were all dressed similarly in plain grey clothes, but the Stone Nin wore dark red covers on his forearms, that seemed to have something hidden underneath.

Kakashi was hidden near to Naruto, so that he could keep an eye on the excitable ninja, but Naruto showed no sign of moving from his hiding place.

Although none of the Konoha team had made a sound, the ninja seemed to know that they were nearby. All of them drew kunai from their pouches and were looking furtively around the clearing. Kakashi poised, ready to jump out if necessary. He watched the enemy carefully.

Suddenly, he heard Sakura scream and realised, too late, that they must have had a fifth man scouting the area, concealed. When they stopped, this ninja then found where they were hiding. Naruto jumped out of the bushes when he heard the scream, shouting "Sakura-chan!" as he ran to find his comrade.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called, trying to stop his subordinate running headlong into the enemy's outstretched hands, but Naruto was already dashing across the clearing towards where Sakura had been hiding.

There was a flash as a kunai streaked towards Naruto, but Sasuke was quick and threw a second kunai, from his hiding place on the other side of the clearing, which deflected the enemy's away from Naruto. Genma was still hidden near Kakashi, so Kakashi whispered for him to find the fifth man, and Sakura, while he fought the other four with the remainder of his team and Sharino.

Genma nodded his understanding, and then ran further into the bushes, keeping low. At almost the same time, Sharino attacked the ninja in the clearing. She had somehow gotten above them so silently that when she jumped into their midst, her Katana slashing down at them, they scattered. Kakashi was with her in a second; catching one ninja and throwing him back against a tree.

As the surprise wore off, the attacking ninja started to recover themselves. Three of them formed a barrier while the older Cloud Nin formed a sequence of hand seals. Sharino didn't wait to find out what attack he was planning on using and neither did Kakashi. They were already jumping away when a lightning strike landed where they had just been standing.

Even as she flew backwards through the air, Sharino had sheathed her Katana and was performing a series of hand seals of her own. Kakashi saw what she was doing, but did not recognise the sequence.

"Enton: Katahoukou Enmaku! _Smoke element: One way Smokescreen_," she shouted. Kakashi didn't notice any change, but the enemy ninja obviously did. One of them stumbled, and the others stopped dead. Kakashi instantly saw the purpose of the technique. The Missing-Nin were surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke that they could see, but Sharino and, evidently, Kakashi were unaffected. Naruto, however did not seem to be included in this exemption and he was also in the smoke, shouting that he couldn't see anything. Kakashi dived down beside him, and guided him back into the bushes, warning him to wait there until Kakashi gave the signal.

Sharino was not wasting any time waiting to see what the enemy would try now that they could not see. She was already forming another set of hand seals.

"Fuuton: Tatsumaki Kyoufuu! _Air element: tornado winds_." She shouted, as a gust knocked Kakashi backwards a pace. The effect was much more deadly to the enemy, who found themselves in the middle of a fierce tornado that sprang up in the centre of the clearing where they stood. The winds were so strong that cuts formed on their faces and arms, and when the winds abated, two of the enemy Shinobi fell to the ground. The Cloud Shinobi however was not so easily defeated and now that the winds had settled, the smoke also seemed to have cleared. He barely seemed affected by the fierce attack.

"Sharino!" Kakashi called. "Take care of the other three, I'll deal with this one!"

"Ok!" She responded, drawing her Katana once more and descending on the three more injured ninja.

Kakashi dropped and ran towards the ninja, dodging a thrown kunai and then attacking with his own. His attack was blocked and for a moment the two ninja made eye contact. Then he jumped away, spinning around ready to attack.

Both started to make a sequence of hand seals at the same time, and it was a race to see whose attack would land first.

"Raiton: Tenohira Raiu no jutsu! _Lightning element: Palm thunderstorm technique_," the Cloud ninja shouted. A miniature lightning storm appeared in the hands of the Cloud Nin, and he threw it towards Kakashi, just as Kakashi used an Earth attack that sent a wall of mud towards his opponent. The attacks crashed into each other. The Earth wall was shattered, but the lightning storm almost completely dissipated in the force of the collision.

Kakashi saw that this Cloud ninja was a Jounin and he knew that for a victory, he would need a little help. His hand reached up to his forehead protector, but even as he did, he heard Sasuke's voice nearby.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" Sasuke shouted. The ball of fire engulfed the Cloud ninja before he could even see where it was coming from. When it cleared, the Cloud ninja was still standing, though he was not completely uninjured. His hair and face were singed and his clothes were burnt, showing some blackened skin on his arms. He looked towards where Sasuke stood on a tree branch above him, rage on his face, and he was about to attack when a second Genin voice rang out in the clearing.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

---

Gai and his team went back with Nekoya to the Hidden village of Smoke. Though forests stretched for some way all around it, the actual village was located in the shadow of a dormant volcano, with many natural hot springs all around that provided the smoke, or more accurately steam, for which it was named.

Nekoya led them up a path that looked as though it led all the way up the volcano, but before they'd climbed very high, they saw the Smoke village stretching out beneath them in a dip in the landscape.

"This way," said Nekoya, heading down a winding path to the village. His cat, a large tabby called Toramaru streaked off ahead of him, stopping every so often so that he did not get out of sight of his master.

They reached the village and Gai was immediately struck by how different from Konoha it seemed. It was certainly quieter. Their passage was viewed by distrustful eyes that peered out from windows and stared at the foreign ninja. The streets were almost empty. One old man with an equally old cat greeted Nekoya, but otherwise the few people on the street barely acknowledged their presence. As they walked, Nekoya was explaining the situation in the village.

"Sharino left almost a week ago now, to ask the Hokage for help defeating the band of Missing-Nin that have been attacking almost every group that we've sent out on missions. Many have died; most recently my Jounin Sensei was attacked. I wish I'd been there to help him." Gai could not think of any words to comfort the boy. Lee had been looking around with interest at everything in the village, no matter how mundane, but at these words his eyes fell to the ground in front of his feet. Even Neji seemed saddened by this revelation, though it was difficult to tell as the Hyuuga never truly looked happy and only seemed to smile in derision.

"How long have these attacks been going on?" asked Tenten. Nekoya shrugged.

"A long time," he said. "A few months at least. I am not sure exactly, as at first the attacks were thought to be random and only a few people were told."

"Do you know the purpose of the attacks?" said Neji. Nekoya was about to answer when someone called to him from up the street. It was another young boy, about the same age as Nekoya, running towards them from up the street.

"Nekoya!" the boy called again. Nekoya waved, and Toramaru galloped up the street to greet him.

"What is it Hikaru?" Nekoya said as the boy, Hikaru, reached them.

"Isamu-sama has called for you to bring the visitors to him," Hikaru said. Nekoya nodded, then turned to Gai, smiling. "Umatatsu Isamu is our leader," he explained. "Please, come."


	4. Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no jutsu!

**4- Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no jutsu!**

In the clearing, Naruto charged headlong at the Cloud ninja that Kakashi had been fighting, with six shadow replications. He jumped, seven identical fists launching at the startled ninja who did not have time to do anything before the attack rained down. Except that he obviously had had time to do something, because when the dust cleared around the area where the ninja had landed, a log lay in his place: Kawarimi no jutsu.

Sasuke saw him attacking from above before Naruto did, and he launched himself out of the tree towards the Cloud shinobi. They collided in midair and Kakashi watched as Sasuke took advantage of the ninja's surprise by executing a high-speed combo of kicks and attacks. He grabbed the Cloud-Nin's arm and punched his jaw. The punch was blocked, but Sasuke followed it with a swift kick that arced around into the enemy's chest. Sasuke's arm swung round again, the back of his fist connecting with the Cloud ninja's ribcage, then he dragged the ninja to the ground, grabbing his arm and grappling him into an arm-bar. The genius of the Uchiha clan was doing himself proud, because the Cloud ninja was obviously not finding it an easy task to fight the rookie Genin.

Kakashi glanced around to see Sharino fighting the other three ninja with ease. Then, for the second time, he noticed the red arm covers of the Stone ninja. He was not sure why until he saw that the ninja had removed one. Underneath was a long, hilt-less blade, attached to some sort of device for throwing it. He aimed it towards Sharino and fired. Kakashi called out a warning, but it was too late. Sharino turned just in time to have the spinning blade hit her full in the face.

There was no time to see if she had used a Kawarimi or a clone, because the Cloud shinobi behind him had managed to shake off Sasuke somehow and was forming another technique. Kakashi dived towards the ninja, stopping him in the middle of the sequence and he grabbed the Jounin's arm, punching him in the face with his other hand. Sometimes there wasn't time for clever strategies and Ninjutsu. Sometimes this was the best way. The Cloud Nin was obviously too used to using ambush tactics and had forgotten how to keep track of multiple opponents all attacking at once. Kakashi shoved the shinobi back into the nearest tree and pinned him there with several kunai. He stepped back.

"You're obviously not as experienced as your jutsu might imply," said Kakashi. The Cloud ninja's surprise was evident, though his expression was bitter.

There was a disturbance behind them, and Kakashi saw Naruto and Sasuke's expressions change from the smiles of victory to the shocked fear of defeat.

"Stop or I'll kill her!" an unfamiliar voice shouted. Then, a more familiar voice shrieked out into the clearing.

"Sasuke-kun!" Kakashi whirled; leaving the defeated Jounin pinned to the tree and saw another enemy ninja, this one with a forehead protector bearing the mark of the Hidden Village of Rain. He was holding Sakura in front of him, a kunai across her throat. She was already bleeding from a small wound on her forehead and her eyes were wide with fear.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted.

"Sakura!" Sasuke said, much more quietly.

In the next few seconds, several things happened at once. The ninja that was holding Sakura suddenly fell, the kunai dropping to the ground in front of Sakura, who spun around to see what had happened. A kunai stuck out of the back of the fallen ninja's head.

At the same time, the Stone Nin felt the Earth underneath him give way and a hand reached out from the Earth and grabbed him.

"Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu!" Sharino's voice shouted. "_Earth element: Suicidal beheading_." The Stone ninja screamed as he was dragged down into the ground, and Sharino appeared above him, looking down at his head, which now stuck out of the ground, the rest of his body hidden. Sasuke immediately recognised the technique as the one that Kakashi had used on him during their survival training, just after he had become a Genin.

Kakashi turned around to face the Jounin, but in the distraction, he, the other Cloud Nin and the Grass Nin had disappeared. Sharino cursed, but she looked down at the helpless Stone ninja. At least they had one captive.

When Sakura span around, she found Genma kneeling beside the body of the Rain shinobi that had captured her. She realised that it must have been him that threw the kunai that killed him.

"Thank you," she said timidly. Genma smiled at her.

"No problem," he replied. "Next time, watch your back." She smiled in return and nodded.

"Yes, sir!"

---

In the smoke village, Gai and his team entered the home of Umatatsu Isamu. Isamu was tall, with a stern demeanor that spoke of experience. At that time he was wearing a comfortable house robe, but Gai guessed that he could look very formidable in battle dress.

After the introductions were made and explanations given, Nekoya was sent out to see if Sharino had returned yet. Gai and his team were invited to share tea with Isamu, which they did gladly, the four of them kneeling around a low table set for such a purpose.

A girl with the same black hair and fierce green eyes as Isamu brought in tea, and Gai guessed that she was his daughter. For a few moments after she had left the room, they sat in silence, then Isamu spoke, to ask what Nekoya had told them of the village's predicament. Gai let Tenten tell him what Nekoya had told them, then watched as the village's leader's face grew more solemn.

"Nekoya does not know everything," said Isamu. "His Sensei, Kenshin, was tortured." The mood in the room, already grave, grew blacker.

"Do you know why?" Gai asked. Isamu's only answer was to shake his head. He paused a moment before he said anything else.

"These attacks have claimed many. One of our most promising Chuunin has been told by our most experienced medical ninja that he will never walk unaided again. My only son has also been claimed. The attackers come from every country, and almost every hidden village, and we have no idea what they want or why they are attacking us!"

This man was obviously a powerful ninja, but his face showed he was distraught by the events that had changed his village.

"Not so long ago, this village was peaceful and prosperous, much like Konoha still is," he continued. "But we are now in dire need of help if it is ever to be that way again."

Isamu let the words hang in the air for a while, watching the faces of the Jounin and his three Genin students as they took this in. Tenten was obviously saddened, while Lee's eyes burned with the desire to fight and help in any way he could. Neji's expression was as impenetrable as ever. Gai's face showed a mixture of compassion and willingness to help. Isamu could tell that Konoha's will of Fire burned in these four, although the boy with white eyes was oddly cold for a Konoha ninja.

"You are of the Hyuuga clan, aren't you?" Isamu said, looking directly into Neji's eyes. Neji's frown deepened as he nodded to the older ninja.

"I am Hyuuga Neji," he said. Isamu's eyes widened.

"I see!" he said. Isamu's knowledge of Konoha's ninja was not perfect, but he had heard of Hyuuga Hizashi and his genius son, Neji, even though Neji had still been in the academy when Isamu last visited Konoha. "I am glad you are here. The Byakugan will be useful in this situation." Neji bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement, but said nothing.

At that moment there was a knock on the door. When it was slid open, the boy from before, Hikaru, was there. He bowed respectfully, but his face betrayed his excitement.

"Isamu-sama!" he said, "Sharino-san is back, with Hatake Kakashi and Shiranui Genma from Konoha. And they captured one of the Missing-Nin!" Isamu looked relieved, but then formality covered the expression.

"Good!" he said. "They have arrived."

---

Sakura thought that Kemurigakure no Sato, the Hidden village of Smoke, looked like such a sad place. It reminded her very much of the city in the Wave country where they had stayed, before Tazuna-san had finished building his bridge. Before their hope had been restored. Naruto must have been thinking the same thing, as he whispered a similar comment to her. Even Naruto was able to sense that his usually raucous voice would have been very out of place in this silent village.

Their prisoner was taken away by some of the village's ninja and they continued up the main street.

"Kakashi-dono," said Sharino, turning to him as they headed up the street. "Perhaps it would be better if your Genin came with me while you talk with my father. They must be tired, and I'm sure he will have much to discuss with you."

"Yeah, yeah," said Kakashi, in his usual bored-sounding tones. "That would be fine." Naruto looked a little annoyed that he didn't get to meet with the village's leader, but he did not object when Sharino offered to take them somewhere where they could freshen up, bathe, eat and sleep. It had been a long journey. Even Sasuke seemed to like the prospect of rest.

Sharino was about to lead the Genin away, when Hikaru appeared.

"Sharino!" he exclaimed, evidently relieved. "Your father will be glad that you are unharmed. He wishes to speak with you and the Konoha Jounin." Sharino closed her eyes as though she was less than thrilled by this prospect, making Sakura wonder what kind of man Umatatsu Isamu was. After a moment, Sharino nodded, and told Hikaru to take charge of the Genin.

Kakashi and Genma watched with Sharino as they disappeared down a side street, and then continued on their way towards Isamu's residence.

"You do not seem to relish the prospect of seeing your father…" Genma observed, looking at Sharino carefully to gauge her reaction. She smiled wearily.

"My father is a great man, but he has little time for his daughters." This was all she had time to say before they reached Isamu's residence. Sharino led them to the room where her father was, and they were also greeted by three more Genin and a tall, familiar green figure with a wide grin full of shiny white teeth.

"Kakashi!" said Konoha's beautiful green beast. "You're here at last!"


	5. The Best Laid Plans

**5- The Best Laid Plans**

In the forests surrounding Kemurigakure, an ominous looking lone figure stood, looking out over the steam rising from the hot springs to where he knew the village stood. He had suffered a bad defeat to the Konoha ninja. He had not been ready for it. Surprised by two Genin, a young Smoke upstart and a single Jounin, whom he believed must be the infamous Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi. He himself was nursing cuts and some minor burns from that annoying Katon jutsu. The Uchiha boy had also singed the ends of his black hair, giving it an even more jagged and unruly appearance.

He had not been expecting so strong a defence from the Leaf ninja. If he had then maybe he would not have suffered such a bad defeat. Not only had the Rain-Nin mistaken one of the Leaf Genin for the Umatatsu girl, but one of his men had been taken captive, and if they tortured him he might snap and reveal their plans. He cursed himself for getting overconfident and swore that next time he would not go so easy on them.

However, if the Leaf was helping, it was not good news. They had managed as much as they had with grit and determination. The presence of these new ninja might cause a drop in the morale of the band of Missing-Nin and might cause them to lose heart. This was not good at all.

With fierce black eyes that seemed to have red and blue flickers of flame in them, he stared into the smoke. His goal was so close, but a direct attack on the village would fail, or even if it succeeded they might end up destroying the very thing they were looking for.

The Cloud ninja, Ketsume, knew that it would not take much longer to find what they were looking for. He knew that one of the Umatatsu clan would know. They had accidentally killed the only son among the three children of Umatatsu Isamu before they knew who he was, but there were still the two daughters left. They were sure to know Kemurigakure's biggest secret; who among them carried one of the most fearsome Bloodline Limits in the world?

---

When the Jounin discussed their plans, Kakashi and Gai agreed that their teams would work independently. A group of nine ninja travelling together would attract too much attention. Neji explained where he had seen the enemy's camp and Isamu marked it on a map of the area. The camp was in the middle of dense forest and would be easy to spy upon, but there were very few ways to get to it and if the enemy were being at all vigilant, any direct attacks would be easily stopped.

Instead, they decided to separate the forest into sections, with a team of ninja working one section at any time. Gai's team would have a larger area, as they had the Byakugan to make detecting attacks easier. Genma and Kakashi and his team would take a slightly smaller section of forest that had plenty of easily defensible positions. A team of experienced Smoke ninja would work the third section, a part of the forest they knew very well. Sharino and Nekoya would act as go-betweens, silently running between the teams to coordinate attacks and help when necessary. If one team were attacked, those two would be fastest moving through the forest to get help if it was needed.

The plan was designed to lure the band of Missing-Nin out into the open, where they could be more easily attacked. It would begin at first light the next day. Kakashi's team had already been given lodgings across the town in the Nekozaki residence, so Isamu invited Gai and his Genin to stay at his house. Then the Konoha ninja left Sharino with her father.

"Isako must go with the Smoke team. You know she is one of the best we have at this sort of combat," Sharino said, hardly daring to look at her father. Sharino was by far the most talented child he had, partly due to her unusual upbringing, but Isako, her sister, was also a very skilled Kunoichi. Yet since the attacks started, Isamu had kept Isako in the village. She had not been assigned a single mission since their brother died. He had been reluctant enough to send Sharino out, but after Kenshin and Isamu himself, she was possibly the strongest Jounin the village had. He couldn't deprive his teams of her skills without sentencing many of them to death, especially now that Kenshin, too, had been killed.

"I've already decided who will be on the team. Isako will remain here," Isamu replied.

"Father! She has fought many times, in situations with worse odds than these! You cannot shelter her from this. It would be shameful!" Isamu looked at his daughter and had a flash of memory of the time when he had first seen her. She had not been born in the Smoke village, and he had not seen her until she was five. Even at that age, she had already mastered several jutsu; it was clear from her earliest years that she would be a strong ninja. Now, at fourteen, she practically had the weight of the village on her shoulders.

"Isako will remain here!" he said, more forcefully. Sharino clenched her teeth to prevent herself from shouting at her father.

"Is there anything else you want me for, father?" she said. Isamu looked at her and tried to see her as his daughter rather than a warrior of the Smoke village, but for some reason when he looked at her, he could not. He either saw the grim young woman with the Katana and the forehead protector, or he saw the tiny little girl who hadn't even recognised her own father when he appeared to take her home.

Isamu wanted to tell her how much he cared about her, but it was difficult. He had spent a long time gaining her trust, her respect and eventually her love when he had found her and brought her to a home she didn't know. He had wanted to get to know his youngest daughter as he knew Isako and Daisuke, their brother. But it seemed there were some boundaries that could not be surmounted, and as she grew closer to him in strength, they grew farther apart as father and daughter. Sighing to himself, he shook his head.

"No, thank you. I will speak to you tomorrow before the mission sets out." Sharino bowed and left the room, leaving her father alone with his thoughts.

---

"Naruto," said Sakura. "You've been rather quiet during this mission. Not like your usual self at all. Is there something wrong?" Naruto looked at her from a half-finished bowl of food. He smiled unconvincingly.

"I'm fine! It's just, this mission… I don't even really know what it's all about. And that Sharino: She's not much older than we are, but she's treated like an equal by Kakashi-Sensei!"

Sakura was not convinced. Naruto had been shocked that Haku, a boy their own age, could be as strong as he was, but he had not shied away and he had not been quiet like this. Something about the mission was getting to the Genin. The whole sombre mood of the journey to the Flame country had infected all of them. Something about the mission, the country, or possibly Umatatsu Sharino, had gotten under Naruto's skin. It had quieted him, made him seem strange to those used to his being bouncy, hyperactive and constantly reaffirming his dream of becoming Hokage.

Though maybe it was nice to have quiet once in a while, Sakura found that she missed the old Naruto.

"Naruto," she said. "The ninja of the hidden Smoke need a strong Leaf ninja to help them defeat these enemies. The Smoke village is our ally…" Naruto looked at her and as their eyes met he saw and understood what she was trying to do. He smiled, something that was still only a remnant of his normal smile and nodded.

"Unnhh!" he said. Sakura smiled.

"Hi guys!" said Kakashi, appearing behind the table.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" exclaimed Naruto. Kakashi nodded a greeting.

"Why weren't we allowed to attend the meeting?" said Sasuke. Kakashi shrugged.

"I believe Sharino did not want you there," he said. Naruto pointed an accusing finger at his Sensei.

"Who is Sharino? I've never heard of her before but you're acting as if she's some great ninja!" he said. Sakura smiled at Naruto. This was more like him. Far too loud for the location, disrespectful to someone who was obviously important in her village and asking inappropriate questions. In fact, Sakura was so pleased to see this side of him back again that she forgot to scold him.

Kakashi sat down beside them at the table and sighed deeply, as if explaining was too much hassle. However, his three Genin were all looking at him, waiting for him to tell them, so he nodded.

"The Umatatsu clan is the greatest clan in the Smoke village. They have special techniques and jutsu that have been passed down since before Konoha was founded. Isamu's grandfather helped fight in the battle where the Second died. Isamu himself and a small group of ninja from this village were among those that helped fight in the battle where the Fourth died. Sharino is the youngest child of Umatatsu Isamu. She was known as a genius ninja child. Now, she is Jounin level. Almost as strong as me…" Naruto was awed.

"Almost as strong as you?" he repeated, his voice low and his eyes wide.

"I saw her in the clearing, using the Doton technique that you used against me in the bell training," Sasuke said. There was a smile in Kakashi's eye.

"They don't call me the Copy Ninja for nothing," he said. "Aside from the Enton jutsu that are almost unique to their village, Smoke ninja and the Umatatsu clan especially are renowned for their skills in Doton jutsu. I copied that technique with my Sharingan from Sharino's father, many years ago now," he said.

"Kakashi-Sensei," Sakura said, "If the Smoke ninja mostly use Doton, then how did Sharino get so skilled at using Fuuton techniques, like the one she used in the clearing?"

"I do not have all the answers," he said. "But many ninja use a variety of jutsu. I believe one of the clans here favours Katon jutsu, much like the Uchiha clan…"

"That would be my clan," said a young voice behind them. They turned to see a red-haired boy, with a tabby cat at his side.

"I am Nekozaki Nekoya and this is Toramaru… I'll be fighting with you tomorrow, so I thought I'd introduce myself."


	6. The calm before the Storm

**6- The calm before the Storm**

Sharino felt tense and uneasy as she sat on the volcano slope looking down at the Smoke village. The band of Missing-Nin had been attacking for months, but the next few days would determine the fate of the Smoke village and all the people living there. Their fate rested in the hands of the Konoha ninja; three foreign Jounin and six Genin who normally would not even be allowed near a mission of this level. It was a sad state for the Smoke village to be in.

Her Katana rested in her lap. She looked down at it, remembering the day she had first received it. It had been given to her father on her behalf when she was just five, to be given to her when she became a Chuunin. The day she returned, successful, from the Chuunin exams in Sunagakure, the Sand village, she had been taken aside by her father.

"I am very proud of you, Sharino," he had said. He had given her the Katana then, explaining where it came from. She had been eleven at the time. Though she would have been capable of taking the exam earlier, her team mates had not been ready, so she had waited. But even at eleven she was one of the youngest ever Smoke shinobi to become a Chuunin.

That was the last time in Sharino's memory that her father had spoken to her as her father, rather than as the village's leader. Even when she received the rank of Jounin he had been almost cold towards her. She did not know why he had become cold, only that the man she had learned to love as a father after not knowing him at all during the earliest years of her life now did not seem to want her as a daughter anymore.

Sharino heard someone coming up the path behind her. At first, from the sound of the steps, she thought that it might be Nekoya, but if it had been she would also have heard Toramaru. She turned to see one of Kakashi's Genin, Uzumaki Naruto, standing behind her.

"Sharino Nee-chan," he said. She nodded to him.

"Naruto-kun. It is late. Shouldn't you be asleep?" she replied. He moved a step closer.

"I couldn't sleep," he said. He paused again before asking a question. "Sharino Nee-chan?" he started. Sharino nodded that he could ask what was on his mind. "Why did you not want us to meet your father?" With a sad sigh, Sharino turned back to the view for a moment.

"If I am honest, it was not for your benefit, but mine," she said.

"What do you mean?" said Naruto. He didn't move any closer, instead watching her from where he was stood, a little way behind her.

"My father and I are not close… at least, not anymore. I was trying to avoid him. Unfortunately, I was unable to." Naruto moved another few steps forward so that he was just beside her.

"What happened?" Sharino sighed and looked at the young Genin for a very long moment. Having seen him fight, she knew that he was an extraordinary boy and now she also saw the compassion and strength of mind in him. There was genuine concern in his face. She wondered why he cared, but she decided to tell him something of her story.

"I didn't know my father or this village until I was five years old, when I came here and found my place. I worked so hard to be acknowledged by my father, because I felt I had to earn my place in the Smoke village. I trained so hard that I'd collapse in the forest and my Sensei would have to carry me home. My father and I grew close then… when I was young.

"But after I became a Chuunin, he suddenly seemed distant from me, as though he didn't feel I belonged here. I don't know why. It just hasn't been the same since then." Naruto felt saddened by this revelation. He knew what it was like to work to be acknowledged, and he knew what it was like to have no parents. 'She's like me,' he thought, looking at the sad green eyes of the ninja he had seen giving her all in battle earlier. She was still trying to be acknowledged by her father.

Sharino in turn looked up into his eyes. Behind his thoughtful expression, she saw something she would not have expected from what Kakashi had told her of the boy that had mastered the Kage Bunshin, and had fought a Jounin and survived. She saw fear. She raised an eyebrow.

"What is troubling _you_?" she asked.

"Nothing!" said Naruto, his instinctive bravado pushing up past his facial expression. "I'm just excited about the mission tomorrow!" Sharino smiled kindly and he knew that she saw through him.

"I know you are an inexperienced Genin. I am sure Kakashi will not put you in more danger than is absolutely necessary."

"It's not that…" he said. "I really am excited about fighting." He paused, crouching down beside Sharino so that he could look out over the village with her.

"Then what is it?"

"Since the start of this, when we were heading over here, I've had the weirdest feeling like I've been here before, like I know this place. I don't know what it is, but it's been telling me that bad things are going to happen here." Sharino examined the young ninja's face and followed his eye line down, past the hot springs that concealed the village and out into the forest. She looked down again, at her father's house.

"I don't know why you have these feelings, but I do know that I will not let the Smoke village fall. We must protect our homes and our important people with all we have and sometimes saving what is dear to us means risking everything. If your feeling is a premonition, then I will fight to change the future." Naruto turned and their eyes met.

He couldn't help but remember once again talking to Haku in the forest, before he had known who the other boy was. '_Do you have a precious person?_' Naruto smiled and he witnessed a new resolve forming in Sharino's eyes, as a new resolve formed just as tangibly in his.

But the uneasy feeling never really went away.

---

Sakura found Sasuke sitting out on the steps at the back of the house looking at the gardens. She had woken up and found herself alone, with four empty sleeping mats where her team mates and Kakashi and Genma should have been.

"Sasuke-kun?" she said, walking out to him. His head was resting on his clasped hands and he looked very thoughtful. He looked around at her, nodded an acknowledgement of her presence then returned his gaze out to the garden. Sakura sat down next to him.

"Sakura," said Sasuke. He sounded like he was about to say something, but then he stopped himself, shaking his head and turning away from her. Sakura looked at him, waiting. When he didn't speak, she sighed and looked out at the garden. She wanted to find something to say, but her unease and fear about the coming battle was growing and that was all she could think about.

For a while she just took comfort in his presence, distant and distracted though he seemed.

"We should try and get some sleep," Sasuke said after a few minutes. "We will need our strength to defeat the enemies tomorrow." Sakura looked at him and smiled. His words may not have been meant as reassurance or encouragement, but when he looked at her she saw no fear in his black eyes. She nodded.

"Yeah!" she said.

When they returned to their sleep mats, they found Naruto, fast asleep, in his. Just before Sakura fell into the calm blackness of sleep, she heard the quiet footsteps of the two Konoha Jounin also returning.

---

Lee woke up before the other members of his team and sat up, looking around the room. It was still dark outside. The sun had not even started to rise, but the moon was still high enough to provide some illumination. He looked down at his hands. Bare, they showed the many tiny scars that marked his knuckles and hands, a silent testament to the hours and hours of hard work and training he had put in over the years. He sighed.

Rubbing the last remnants of sleep from his eyes, Lee looked across at his sleeping team mates. Tenten, her hair hanging loose around her face, looked worried, even in sleep. Even Neji's sleeping face had a tiny frown creasing his forehead. The tense atmosphere had penetrated all their dreams.

For a moment, Lee's eyes lingered on his Hyuuga rival. With his eyes shut, Neji could have been anyone. Unable to see the silver eyes of the Hyuuga Bloodline Limit, he could have been just an ordinary boy. Like Lee. Maybe then he would feel fear, make mistakes occasionally. Like Lee.

'If I don't defeat as many enemies than Neji today,' Lee thought to himself, 'then I will have to run around the volcano five times!'

Silently, Lee got up. He glanced once more at his scarred, puckered hands. They were not the hands of a young boy. They were the hands of someone that had woken up before dawn every morning for years to train and train and strengthen his body, punching and kicking logs until his knuckles bled and his body simply refused to do more. He swore by his hands that one day soon he would defeat the Hyuuga, and prove to him once and for all that a genius could be defeated by hard work alone.

He dressed as quietly and quickly as he could, bandaging his arms and putting on his training weights, ready to face the day. Finally, he tied his forehead protector around his waist, emulating his Sensei in every way but the sleeveless jacket that Konoha ninja first received when they became Chuunin.

Lee went to the door and opened it silently, preparing to go out and train for a little while before the rest of his team awoke and they had to leave.

"Not this morning Lee," a deep voice whispered from the corner of the room where Gai had been sleeping. "You must save all your energy for the battles to come."

"Gai-Sensei," Lee said, just as quietly, turning around to see Gai, sitting up on his sleeping mat. "I did not know you were awake." Gai grinned. He looked just as bright first thing in the morning as he ever did.

"It is hard to rest heavily when the day promises so much. But we must be patient for now. We will have much to do later," Gai said. Lee smiled at his Sensei and nodded his agreement. Gai grinned and gave Lee the 'nice-guy' pose with his thumb up. Everything was going to be all right.

---

Gai and his team had already set out into the forest, without waiting to greet the other Konoha team. Kakashi and Genma were nearly ready to leave and the Smoke team had just been given their final instructions from Isamu. Sharino stood with them now.

Their leader was Yumeda Reiboshi, an elite Jounin level ninja and good friend of Sharino. Though he looked only sixteen, he was actually much older… old enough to have helped train Sharino when she was a Genin. He used a permanent Henge to appear younger than he was, for reasons he kept to himself. His hair was short, except for a long arch down the middle of his head, and it was all painted black. His upper eyelids were also painted black with thick kohl, and thin stripes of the same make-up ran from his eyes to halfway down his cheeks. The eyes themselves were pure white. On his forehead he bore a symbol, representing his clan, like three narrow ellipses with pointed ends joined together in the centre. The other three on his team included one other Jounin and two Chuunin.

Just as they were about to leave, Umatatsu Isako ran down the street towards them.

"I am coming too!" she said. Sharino turned and looked at her.

"But father said you were to remain here…" she said. Isako seemed to misunderstand her meaning and became very defensive.

"I will not be sheltered from this battle, Sharino, not by you or father or anyone. I will fight for my village!"

"Isako…" started Sharino, but her sister cut her off before she could say any more.

"No Sharino! You know I excel in situations like this. I may not have your rank or your strength, but I am still your older sister. I am an Umatatsu and I will not be left behind!"

"Isako!" Sharino said louder, smiling. "I am glad you got away." Isako paused, her mouth open in shock. Slowly this altered to a smile and she laughed. Then, she nodded to Reiboshi, who greeted her.

In the next seconds they were gone and Sharino was left standing with Nekoya.

"Won't your father get mad?" Nekoya said, referring to Isako. Sharino shrugged.

"I'd rather have that and have a better chance of saving this village," she said. Nekoya nodded, then smiled

"Come on Toramaru! Lets get going!" Nekoya said. The cat mewed and Nekoya smiled at Sharino. They nodded and started out after the other teams.

---

"They're heading out," said Ketsume's second in command, Jirou. Jirou was looking into a wide shallow bowl filled with water. Though Ketsume could see nothing except the reflection of the sky on the water, he nodded.

"Then let us begin," he replied, turning to where the rest of his ninja stood, looking at him with bloodthirsty expressions on their faces.


	7. Into the Flames

AN: I forgot to mention before, but Reiboshi is not my own character… he was provided very kindly by ShounenSuki. It was originally meant as a tribute to him for translating everything and helping me, but Reiboshi ended up becoming an integral part of the plot and solving a couple of the problems I was having, so I have to thank ShounenSuki for that as well .

Another couple of translations for those that don't know… A Kunoichi is a female ninja. Kuchiyose no jutsu is the summoning technique.

**7- Into the Flames**

Gai watched Neji as his student turned slowly around, looking as far as he could in every direction for any sign of enemy ninja. After a while, he shook his head.

"Their camp seems to be empty, but none of them are within range of my Byakugan," Neji said, looking back at Gai. Gai nodded.

"Tenten, you know what to do," he said. The girl nodded.

"Yes sir!" She replied, producing a reel of wire and a handful of kunai from somewhere.

Lee looked like he was about to burst and Gai was proud of his enthusiastic student. He was sure the young Taijutsu specialist would acquit himself excellently in the coming battle.

---

Sharino and Nekoya were keeping a careful eye out for any signs of the enemy ninja, but they had no idea where they were or which team they would attack first. Sharino just knew that the attacks would surely be coming. They paused on a tree branch to catch their breath and orientate themselves. They had just left Gai and his team and were trying to decide where to go next.

"Where are Kakashi and his team?" Nekoya asked. Sharino pointed in the direction of the river.

"That way," she said. Nekoya nodded, saying "I'll go see what they're up to, you head over to Reiboshi and our team." Sharino nodded comprehension and they set off in opposite directions.

The Smoke team had laid several traps around their area and Sharino stopped outside the boundary and cupped her hands around her mouth. She made a whistling sound of a birdcall, a signal that she and Reiboshi had often used when he took her out in the forest to train. It took a minute, but the five Smoke shinobi soon appeared beside her.

"Anything?" she said. Reiboshi shook his head. Sharino growled under her breath.

"They're out there somewhere," she said. Reiboshi nodded.

"If they are, there are enough traps in this forest that we'll catch them. They'll come out eventually." Sharino nodded.

"I just wish I knew where they were," she said, gazing out into the forest.

"I know. We must be patient," he said, giving her a lop-sided smile.

"I'll keep moving, in the hopes of finding some of them. I shouldn't stay in one place too long or I'll be easier to find," she said. Reiboshi nodded agreement. Having Sharino and Nekoya moving around would be essential if the enemy attacked any of the teams in greater numbers than they had had in the previous attacks, but alone, the Smoke shinobi were more vulnerable.

---

Jirou refilled his bowl with water from the stream, set it on his lap as he sat cross-legged and formed a set of hand seals.

"Where are the Smoke ninja?" Ketsume said. Jirou closed his eyes and muttered something barely comprehensible under this breath. Then he opened his eyes and stared into the water.

"We're in luck. The Umatatsu girl is with them!" Jirou said, smiling. "She has just left them, heading this way."

"Come Jirou!" said Ketsume. He pointed at two other ninja and beckoned for them to follow, and they set off to intercept the Smoke's genius Kunoichi.

---

Sharino made her way quickly through the forest, keeping her eyes and ears alert for anything that would indicate a nearby enemy. She heard nothing until a kunai whistled through the trees towards her.

She ducked, grabbing the tree branch she was on and swinging underneath it. Collecting chakra in her feet, she attached herself to the underside of the branch and ran along it until she reached the tree trunk. As she ran, she heard the sound of an explosive note and the tree under her moved. She jumped away as the explosion destroyed the tree, landing squarely on the ground and drawing her Katana in one fluid motion.

Looking around her she found that she was surrounded by four of the enemy ninja. Their leader was the Cloud Jounin from the group she had fought with Kakashi, but it was one of the other ninja that interested her more. She had not thought that any of the band of Missing-Nin were from the Smoke village, but this one had a Smoke forehead protector on. He had black hair that stuck out in all directions, just a little too long to still look tidy. He was skinny, but his wiry limbs did not look weak. He wore the same plain clothes as most of the others, with bandages on his hands and arms.

"Jirou!" she said. Jirou had been a Chuunin of their village. They had thought him killed on a mission. Apparently he was alive and well.

"Sharino," he said, smiling at the look of shock on her face. Then another dawning realisation struck her.

"You've been spying in the village!" she said. The ex-Smoke ninja just smiled, saying nothing. Sharino glared at him. She pointed her Katana at his throat and threatened him with her eyes, but she knew he was not her strongest opponent. She had already had her back turned on Ketsume for too long. Silent, he had completed a sequence of hand seals.

"Raiton: Shuurai no jutsu! _Lightning element: Lightning strike technique_." A bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere, striking the spot where she stood. The force of the bolt created a crater in the ground, but the body of Sharino disappeared.

"Bunshin?" the Cloud ninja cried in surprise.

"Enton: Katahoukou Enmaku!" cried Sharino from above them, once more using her one-way smokescreen. She then formed a second set of hand seals, this time one of the Umatatsu clan's famous Doton jutsu.

"Doton: Ashi Haji no jutsu! _Earth element: Foot-hold technique_." Hands formed of mud reached up from the ground around the enemy ninja's feet and grasped their feet and ankles holding them in a bone crushing grip that even the strongest ninja could not easily escape. Now they were blind and unable to run: the perfect time to use one of her village's favourite techniques.

Unfortunately, the foot-hold technique did not immobilise the enemy's hands and as she started forming the seals for her next jutsu, she saw the four ninja below her all reaching for their kunai at once. She stopped the technique she had been about to form and made two different seals instead, just as the kunai came flying towards her.

'Fuuton! Kaze Tawami no jutsu! _Air element: Wind deflection technique_,' she said in her mind as she gathered chakra in her lungs and blew it out towards the incoming kunai. The winds blew the kunai away, and they landed back on the ground around the enemy.

However, this had given Ketsume enough time to form a technique that freed his feet using a narrow blade of lightning. Free, he jumped out of the smoke and rounded on Sharino. Sharino jumped up into the trees and back down to the ground a little way away from them. She bit her thumb hard enough to draw blood, and formed a quick series of hand seals.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" she shouted, slamming her hand onto the ground. An array of dark symbols spread out underneath her hand, and a bay horse appeared out of nowhere. The horse wore a Smoke forehead protector as a noseband, and it had guards on its legs, and spikes around its hooves.

"Umakaze," Sharino said to the horse, standing and taking hold of a clump of the horse's mane. "I need your help, please let me ride you." The horse whinnied its consent, and she jumped up on to the horse's back. She could control the horse with her body movements, so she turned Umakaze around to face back towards her enemies, all of which had now freed themselves from her Earth-hold. She drew her Katana in one hand, and her hunting knife with the other, and wrapped her legs around her mount as she urged her on to charge.

Jirou had already leapt into the trees and the Cloud ninja was well clear, but both of the other two ninja were still in Sharino's smoke jutsu and didn't see the charge until it was too late. She guided Umakaze between them and cut through them both with slices from her two weapons.

She paused and looked around for the other two Missing-Nin, but could not see either of them.

A kunai flew towards her and she dodged, twisting Umakaze around. The attack had come from above. Umakaze could do many things, but she could not climb trees. Sharino sheathed her hunting knife and stood up on Umakaze's back, using her as a platform to launch herself into the upper branches. Just as she did so, a lightning strike flew through the air towards her. She didn't have time to dodge, but it was not aimed to hit her directly. The blow and blast of electricity hit her, but she escaped most of the jutsu's full force. She flew backwards, hitting a tree with her head and back, hard.

Dazed, she didn't see as Jirou landed near her and formed one of her village's jutsu. She saw him as he completed it, but could do nothing as he breathed out a puff of smoke, and her limbs became rigid.

"Mahi Kemuri," she whispered; _paralysing smoke_. She realised with dismay that this was how they had caught Kenshin, her beloved former Sensei, and now they were going to do to her as they had to him.


	8. The Kitten's Fire

**8- The Kitten's Fire**

Nekoya heard the clang of kunai hitting each other and slowed his run towards Kakashi's team. He listened, his ears twitching as he tried to work out how many enemies there were. At his side, Toramaru mewed. He nodded to the cat.

Creeping forward, he gathered chakra in his feet and ran up the tree he was standing on. Once at the top, he continued moving towards the Leaf team, continuously looking below him looking for signs of them. He saw a flash of movement, and Genma appeared beside him.

"Oh! It's you!" the Leaf Special Jounin said with relief, placing the kunai he was holding back in its pouch.

"What's happening?" Nekoya whispered.

"It's a small band of the Missing-Nin," Genma said. "Not too troublesome, but if you feel like fighting, the extra pair of hands wouldn't go amiss." A broad grin creased the bandages that covered Nekoya's face.

"Looks like I'm just in time!" he said. Genma nodded, motioning for him to wait where he was for a minute. Then he rejoined the fray below. As he jumped down, he saw one of the enemies throwing a kunai towards Kakashi. He swivelled in midair, and spat his toothpick out towards it. The two projectiles collided and flew off in different directions. Genma dropped to the ground at the other Jounin's side.

One of the Missing-Nin charged towards Sakura, a kunai in his hand. She held her own kunai ready, but before she had a chance to use it, Naruto jumped to meet him, swinging his leg around in a wide kick that connected savagely with the other ninja's face, sending him flying. A second enemy appeared, but Sasuke had seen him, and this new enemy found himself frantically dodging several shuriken that streamed towards him. Sakura could only watch as Sasuke and Naruto worked together to fight the two enemy ninja.

Another ninja lay at Kakashi's feet, unconscious; easily defeated by the Konoha Jounin. So far, Genma had just been observing, ready to lend a hand where he was needed. At that point, though, the Special Jounin sensed another presence nearby. He froze, looking towards the newcomers: two ninja from the Hidden Village of Mist.

Kakashi was about to attack them when he heard Naruto cry out from behind him. Genma nodded almost imperceptibly, and the white-haired Jounin disappeared, rushing to the aide of his subordinates.

Genma stared at the two for a long moment, then a tiny smile formed on his face.

He formed a series of hand seals and closed his eyes. The technique was a Genjutsu. The image that appeared beside him was of a vicious-looking demon. It took the form of a many-horned dragon, bright red in colour with evil eyes that bored into them. Genma opened his eyes and looked at the two ninja he was facing. They both looked less confident. The younger of the two was shaking visibly.

He made the demon creature image move towards them, snorting great puffs of air as it stalked towards them. The ninja started to back away, and Genma followed them behind his illusion. Soon they would realise it was not real and then it would be time for him to fight properly.

From behind the illusion, Genma took several kunai and shuriken out of his pouch and prepared to throw them through the demon. Just then he heard a noise behind him. When he looked, he saw a third enemy ninja appear.

"Geez," he said under his breath. He looked sideways at this third ninja and smiled.

He released the kunai and shuriken towards the two cowering before the dragon. The Genjutsu was dispelled as he threw the weapons through it, but some of them found their mark. He jumped into the air, and formed a seal sequence, ending with the Tiger seal.

A burst of fire rained towards the ninja, but the Mist ninja were recovered enough to use a water counter-technique and the third ninja simply dodged. Genma saw that the Mist ninja were both at least Chuunin level and he might need some help. They had certainly managed to avoid any critical hits from his weapons quite easily.

He landed on a tree branch and looked upwards.

"Now's your chance, kid," he said. Nekoya was standing just a few metres behind him on another branch. He nodded, smiled, then dropped into the clearing in front of the third ninja that had arrived to fight Genma.

Genma settled himself on the tree branch and started to mold chakra for a big technique. He just hoped the kid could keep them occupied for long enough.

Nekoya faced the three ninja with a smile on his face. His cat was sitting beside him, waving its tail slowly as it stared at the enemy.

"What can a boy and a kitten do against the three of us?" laughed one of the Mist ninja coming towards him.

"Ha!" said Nekoya, slapping his hands together in a seal. "Kittens grow up into big cats," he laughed. "Ninpou: Juuhatsuiku no jutsu! _Beast growth technique,_" he shouted. The three ninja stopped dead, watching him and Toramaru. Suddenly, Toramaru did not look quite so harmless. The green eyes started to look more fiery and demonic and his fur bristled. Standing up, Toramaru started to grow in size, until it was larger than most tigers. His teeth grew longer and his claws extended into sharp talons that looked like they could gut a man very easily. His mew was no longer a quiet cry, but a tiger's roar.

The three ninja looked distinctly worried for a moment, but then they decided that three against one was still an advantage, no matter how big his cat was.

"Go Toramaru!" shouted Nekoya. Toramaru gave a great roar and jumped towards the nearest enemy ninja. He was instantly pushed to the ground. Nekoya looked at the other two with his own cat-like eyes and formed a set of hand seals in preparation for their attack.

They both leapt towards him at the same time, kunai in their hand.

"Katon: Hoheki no jutsu." he shouted. "_Fire element: Fire wall technique._" A wall of fire, much taller than him, burst out of the ground in front of him, as he directed it with a sweep of his hand in a line across the advancing enemy's path. The technique served its purpose. It stopped the enemy ninja in their tracks. While the enemy pulled back from the flames, Nekoya formed another technique, quickly forming the seals and gathering up all the chakra he could. If it worked, this technique would win the battle, if not, he would be practically useless for the rest of it.

'Enton: Chissoku kokuen no jutsu! _Smoke element: Suffocating black smoke technique._' He blew out his deep breath, and with it came a huge cloud of billowing black smoke that found the enemy with frightening speed. As soon as they took in the smallest breath of it, they began to choke, hacking and coughing as they tried to clear their lungs of the deadly smoke. They fell to the ground, unable to stay upright. Nekoya smiled, happy at his victory.

However, he had used a lot of his chakra to form the three high level techniques in such quick succession. A few seconds later, he dropped to the ground to rest, tired out. Genma landed beside him, seeing that the kid had done more than distract the enemy ninja. Nekoya's techniques were good. Toramaru had managed to defeat the third ninja, and now returned to his normal size, rushing to his fallen master's side.

"Are you okay?" Genma asked. Nekoya smiled and nodded.

"I'll be fine," he said. Genma smiled at him and then looked over to where Kakashi and his team had also defeated their opponents.

"I think we did quite well," said Naruto, grinning. Genma's smile broadened and he nodded.

"I think we did," he said.

---

Reiboshi and his team sat in the upper branches of two trees that were close together. Their senses were alert, waiting for any sign of an attack, but there was nothing. The forest around them was silent except for the ordinary sounds of birds and wild animals. Isako was listening carefully for anything that indicated one of her traps had been disturbed, but there was nothing.

The atmosphere was tense, the five Smoke ninja silent except for the occasional comment, related to their mission. Reiboshi looked bored, or at the very least calm and disinterested. One of the younger Chuunin looked scared, constantly scanning his surroundings. A drip of sweat ran down his forehead.

"It's past midday," Isako said, looking up into the sky. "I would have thought we'd have seen _something_ by now." Reiboshi shrugged, looking at her.

"Maybe they haven't found us yet. Patience, Isako," he said. "You're worse than your sister." Isako's smile showed amusement, but possibly also a hint of jealousy.

"I had to sneak away from the house to come here, and now it looks as though I might not even get to fight," she said. Reiboshi leaned back against the tree again and took a sip of water from a flask he carried with him.

"Are you worried that your father will not let you come out again unless you prove you are useful?" he said. Isako smiled.

"Something like that," she said with a sigh. "I've felt so useless these last months. Being unable to do what you are best at is demoralising. Especially when your younger sister is not overprotected in the same way." Reiboshi tossed her the flask and she also took a sip of water.

"You are not Sharino," he said. "She may be a stronger ninja, but you make better tea." Isako laughed despite herself, and Reiboshi grinned in return. "You will have your turn, Isako," he said, when they stopped laughing. She looked at him.

"I hope so," she replied with a deep sigh. "I want just once to prove I can be as useful to the village as Sharino."

---

Sharino gasped for breath as she tried to fight the paralysing smoke, but it was a strong technique, and Jirou was holding it well, without too much strain. He had to continuously release chakra into the jutsu for it to keep working, but he seemed confident, and Sharino's attempts to fight the jutsu were failing completely.

"So, Umatatsu Sharino," Ketsume said, looking her in the face with a sneer on his, "this is your limit?" He took out a coil of rope and knelt down to start to bind her with it.

Sharino was about to respond defiantly when both Jirou and Ketsume looked up sharply at some sound nearby in the forest. They both screamed as a fierce wind hurtled towards them, blowing them away into the forest. The paralysing jutsu was released immediately and Sharino sat up and looked in the direction from which help had come.

"Sharino-chan," said a familiar voice, "in trouble again?" Sharino grinned broadly when she saw her old friend.

"Temari!" she called. The Sand ninja leaned on her fan. Behind her, Kankurou appeared with a bandaged package on his back, followed by Gaara, carrying a heavy gourd. Sharino smiled and greeted Temari and Kankurou warmly and also smiled at Gaara. Gaara said nothing, instead looking blankly at her with his chilling pale blue eyes. Sharino hastily looked around. "What brings you to the Flame country!" she said. Temari smiled.

"We're here to pick up one of our own: a Missing-Nin from our village. We heard he was in the band that has been attacking Kemurigakure and I couldn't pass up the opportunity!" Temari said. Sharino smiled back at her.

"But surely you're still Genin. That would be a B-ranked mission at the very least!" she said. Kankurou looked uneasily at his younger brother. Sharino understood immediately. One of her earliest memories had been of Gaara and learning of his terrifying talents. If the talents had grown with him, no one would be able to land an attack on the red haired twelve-year-old, let alone defeat him.

"Well, anyway," she said, rushing away from the subject of Gaara. "Let us see if we can't find your missing man. But first we should clean up the mess…" she turned around and looked for Jirou and Ketsume, but they were gone. She cursed.

"They'll turn up later," said Temari. "They always do."

------------------------------

AN: The technique I created for Genma is based on his name. 'Genma' can mean 'illusionary demon.' I felt he deserved a technique, and he seems to me like someone that would use this kind of technique… I hope you agree.


	9. Playing with Fire

AN: Thanks to those who have read and enjoyed the story and told me so. I enjoy writing this stuff, so it's good to know that others enjoying reading it. :D I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Another translation: Ninpou: Kamaitachi, is slicing winds.

-------------------------

**9- Playing with Fire**

When Neji saw the ninja coming, he alerted his team immediately. It had been hours since Sharino and Nekoya had left them and Gai had been wondering why they hadn't come back again yet. They had not even seen a single enemy ninja. Gai had been sitting, leaning against a tree, waiting to see if they would ever attract any enemy attention. Now, though, he stood up and turned to Neji.

"How many?" he asked. Neji concentrated his vision on the group of ninja that were headed towards them.

"Six," he said. Lee grinned, his hand making a fist as he cried out with excitement.

"All right!" he said. Gai smiled inwardly, but told Lee to be quiet. Lee instantly shut up. The enemy wasn't far away now. Soon, they would start to encounter Tenten's traps. Tenten concealed herself above them in the trees, where she would be most useful. The three Taijutsu specialists found positions around the clearing. The preparation time was over. Now it was their turn.

They didn't try to hide, instead each taking their own battle stances. Neji's Byakugan was active, his stare penetrating the forest in every direction. Lee stood, facing the same way as Neji was, one arm out, beckoning, the other behind his back. His eyes were wide with excitement and expectation and his face was set in determination.

'This time,' he thought, 'maybe this time I'll prove to Neji that I am strong!'

Neji just stood, his left hand extended, palm open. His other hand was at his side, ready. He kept his attention focused on the ninja that were running through the forest toward him, careful to look for any others that might be trying to hide.

Between the two boys, Gai stood, in the same stance as Lee. He turned his head to his favourite student and flashed him his bright white smile. Lee returned it in kind.

In the trees above them, Tenten held three kunai, one in her throwing hand, two in the other. She also had her scrolls ready. If she was needed, she was ready to use her strongest techniques. The trap was set. The enemy was coming.

The first three ninja exploded into the clearing with no concern for stealth or caution. They sighted the Konoha shinobi and charged towards them, one heading for each of them.

Lee took out the first using the 'Konoha whirlwind' to knock him to the floor. In similar style, Gai kicked his opponent in the stomach, sending him flying back into a tree. The third came running towards Neji forming hand seals for an attack. Not waiting to find out what it was, Neji rotated into a Hakkeshou Kaiten, the divination whirl, and sent the attackers' rain of fire spinning easily away from him and disappearing into the air. He stopped spinning and dived for the enemy, landing a clean hit to the ninja's chest before he even knew what had happened to his fire attack. He stopped dead, shocked and confused, then collapsed to the floor, coughing up blood.

"They are testing our abilities," said Neji, unamused by the pathetic attacks. Lee's opponent had just dragged himself back to his feet, and Lee kicked him again, in the head. The ninja fell to the floor and did not attempt to get up a second time. Lee's heart was racing now.

"Youth is explosion! Fight for our allies!" Gai said, grinning broadly. Neji glanced sideways and grunted. Lee agreed whole-heartedly.

The other attackers were much less open, though Neji, of course, knew exactly where they were. They hid in three positions around the clearing. Neji looked through the concealing bushes, directly at one of them and a tiny smile curled up the corners of his mouth as he saw the series of hand seals that the enemy ninja was forming.

He jumped through the bush, nearly landing on top of the hiding ninja. He had seen immediately that the enemy had a lot of chakra built up for the technique and he didn't feel like waiting to find out what it was. The enemy scrambled to his feet as Neji rounded on him, changing his stance as he faced the ninja, deciding to end it quickly.

Lee jumped out of the way as a Grass Nin launched a Doton jutsu attack at him. He dodged the flying mud, swinging himself up into the trees. From there he saw where the hidden ninja had attacked from and jumped back down beside Gai pointing into the bushes.

Gai nodded.

They both heard a scream of pain as Neji launched his deadliest attack on the enemy ninja, both knowing that very soon that ninja would not be able to use any chakra at all. Back to back, Lee and his Sensei waited for the next ninja to come.

---

As they ran through the forest, Temari asked Sharino how she had let the Missing-Nin get so far.

"There are too many of them. We don't know when the attacks will come, or what kind of attack it will be, or what skills we will need to defeat it. Short of sending Jounin out on every mission, no matter how trivial, there was not much we could do."

"So what are you doing at the moment?" Kankurou asked.

"We have three teams in the forest," she replied "Hopefully, the enemy will find them and attack them as they have been, not realising just how ready they are." Temari and Kankurou smiled. Gaara said nothing.

They stopped, sensing an enemy up ahead. The Sand ninja, or rather Temari and Kankurou, did not particularly want to get involved in a war. They were just there to kill the Sand Nin.

He had once been one of the Sand village's Chuunin. Most of Suna's Hunter Nin and ANBU members were busy with missions more important than this, so it had been given to the three Genin. Even if it had been too much for Temari and Kankurou, Gaara's unique abilities would keep him safe and allow him to complete the mission easily. Their Jounin Sensei hadn't even bothered to suggest that he go with them.

Temari and Kankurou were cautious, listening and watching for signs of the enemy. However, sensing blood, Gaara stepped forward.

"Gaara," Kankurou said tentatively, not wanting to anger his little brother. "We should find out if he is among them first," he said. Gaara ignored him. He disappeared in a haze of wind and sand and then reappeared on the ground below where the enemy ninja were gathered. Sharino was startled by the frightening boy that Gaara had become. She only had vague memories of him, but she did not remember anything about him that even remotely resembled the hate-filled, bloodthirsty boy that he was now.

Temari and Kankurou exchanged glances, then followed him down. Sharino in her turn followed them.

Gaara was stood facing five ninja, among them the Sand Chuunin that they were seeking. They were fairly near to the Missing-Nin campsite, so Sharino had expected there to be some of them around, but she felt it very fortunate that they had come across their target so fast.

"Ha!" said the Sand Chuunin. "The Hidden Sand thinks so little of me that they send mere children!" he shouted. Gaara smiled, but the smile was not at all pleasant. Sharino shuddered at the sight of it.

Sharino was about to step forward, but Kankurou and Temari both put their arms out to stop her.

"We will handle this lot. You will have other battles," Kankurou said. He had taken the bandaged package from his back and Sharino smiled.

"Yeah. Looks like you guys will be ok," she said.

"I wish we could stay and catch up, Sharino-chan," said Temari, her hand on the top of her fan. "But we have to get back to Sunagakure after this. We're being entered in the coming Chuunin exam." Sharino smiled at her.

"Well, good luck to you. Farewell!" With that, she jumped back into the forest and vanished.

The Sand ninja stepped forwards from the enemy group. Gaara stood looking at him blankly. The Chuunin did not appear to recognise him, or his siblings, as the Kazekage's children. However, none of them cared.

He gestured to his companions and one on each side of him dashed around Gaara to meet Temari and Kankurou, the older and, the Sand Nin suspected, stronger ones.

"Not so fast," said Temari, whisking her fan out and holding it ready. She waited a moment until the enemy was closer, then smiled. "Ninpou: Kamaitachi!" she shouted, giving a broad sweep of her fan towards the approaching ninja. He was instantly swept back, screaming as the winds viciously cut into his skin, even through his clothes.

On the other side, Kankurou waited, arms crossed, for the coming attack. The ninja started forming hand seals for a Suiton attack, but Kankurou did not move, even when the final seal formed.

"Suiton: Sanseiu! _Water element: acid rain_," the ninja said. A vicious rain started falling directly on Kankurou. He still did not even move or scream as the rain started to dissolve his flesh. The enemy ninja stopped short of him when he saw the brown wood underneath the sand that formed his outward appearance.

Behind the revealed puppet, Kankurou burst from his prison of bandages with a flourish, and used the blue chakra strings that connected him to Karasu to extend Karasu's arms, blades appearing on the inside of each.

Too late, the attacking ninja realised that he had come too close to his target. He tried to move back, but Karasu jumped forward, embracing him in a deadly hug. The ninja's scream was loud and piercing, making their leader think again. Now they had no advantage of numbers.

The Sand ninja stepped forward. He started forming an attack, directed at Gaara. Gaara stood, arms folded, staring at him as his siblings released their victims and stepped forwards beside him once more. The Missing-Nin looked at Gaara's unconcerned stance and smiled, spreading his hands in front of him. The air around his hands started to swirl as winds formed. Then, the ninja ran towards Gaara, his hands extended in front of him.

The wind howled around his hands, ready to cut through anything that stood in its way. Gaara did not move, letting him come. As the Sand-Nin closed in, Gaara stared blankly at him, completely uninterested.

As the Missing-Nin's hands extended to hit Gaara, the shield of sand sprang up in front of him. The Sand ninja collided with it and then jumped away. His face showed a terrified recognition as he suddenly realised who this child was.

The cork from Gaara's gourd had fallen out, and now the golden sand came spilling out from it in tendrils that wrapped around him loosely. The boy stared menacingly at his victim. The Sand ninja stopped, unable to move as Gaara extended his open hand towards him.

"Sabaku Kyuu! _Desert coffin!_" Gaara said. The enemy Sand ninja's companions stood stock still in fear as the sands whirled from Gaara's gourd and surrounded the Sand-Nin, wrapping around him, encasing him in sand. Gaara stared at him. The fear was in his victim's eyes now. The fear that Gaara recognised so well. The fear that he had grown to relish. "Sabaku Sousou! _Desert funeral_!" he said, his hand snapping shut into a tight fist.

The enemy ninja were terrified as they watched the sand contract with deadly force, crushing the Sand ninja that had been selected as the leader of their squad. The Sand ninja's screams did not last for more than a second as blood and sand sprayed them.

Gaara looked up and turned his attention to the others. The Sand Nin fell to the ground with a look of terror on his dead face. Temari was ready to step forward with her fan and Kankurou readied Karasu, but Gaara's blood was pumping now and they didn't dare stand in his way. He extended both his hands.

Seconds later, two more screams were heard and the other two ninja lay dead.

The sand returned to its gourd, and Gaara calmly plugged the cork back into to its opening. Kankurou stepped forward to the Sand ninja. They had to destroy the body.


	10. Long ago and far away

AN: Naruto would not be Naruto without flashbacks… so to make my fiction as true to the show as I could, here is the first flashback. When you see the >>> sign separating sections, that's a flashback :). So, if it wasn't clear already, this explains Sharino's knowledge of Fuuton jutsu and her familiarity with the Kazekage's children:

**10- Long ago and far away**

_Fourteen years ago._

Naomi stumbled into the Sand village, screaming for help, obviously in pain. She banged on the door of the nearest house, then collapsed, unable to continue.

The owners of the house came out quickly at the cries for help, and she was lifted and taken to the hospital as fast as they could. They could tell that the woman was heavily pregnant, going through a difficult and painful labour.

The medical ninja took care of her, but there was little they could do for the mother. She died giving birth to her daughter. The medical ninja did not know what to do with the baby. They searched the village for someone that could act as a wet-nurse for the new child, but the only woman who had given birth recently enough was the Kazekage's wife, who was nursing her new son Kankurou.

Still, the Kazekage and his wife agreed to look after the child, naming her Sharino (which means 'Of the Sand village'). They sent word to all of the other countries about the child to find out where she came from, but no one came to claim her so she was raised in the Kazekage's household.

It was clear from very early on that the child was very gifted in the ninja arts, so she began to train with Temari, the Kazekage's own daughter. Sharino grew up calling the Kazekage father.

"Father! Father! Look at this new technique I just learned!" the five year old child cried, running into the room with Temari. Both girls looked red-faced and excited. The Kazekage glanced at the girls and then rolled up the scroll he had been examining, following them outside.

Outside in the street, Temari took out three kunai and prepared to throw them. The Kazekage frowned, watching carefully. Temari threw them at Sharino, who quickly formed hand seals.

"Fuuton! Kaze Tawami no jutsu!" A gust of wind blew out from the child's mouth, strong enough to stop the kunai from striking her, throwing them back towards Temari, though stopping short of her. Kazekage's eyes widened. He had seen the same technique, used by an adult, deflect hundreds of weapons thrown all at once, but this much for a five-year-old was amazing. He almost couldn't believe it.

It was not long after that that Umatatsu Isamu came to Suna, claiming Sharino for his own. The Kazekage knew that his claim was correct. Sharino had the same eyes as he did, and his description of the child's mother was completely accurate, down to a tiny, barely noticeable birthmark at the nape of her neck, that one of the medical ninja that treated her had seen by chance. But he knew he would be sorry to see her go.

"Sharino," he said to his adoptive daughter. "Your father is here to take you home." Sharino had always known that she was not the Kazekage's real daughter, though she often thought of herself as such. But the thought of leaving Suna terrified the girl. She screamed.

When she was taken to see her father for the first time, she would barely look at him. Yet even the Kazekage could not keep a man's daughter hostage, so when Isamu took her, he said nothing except farewell to the girl he had raised as a daughter.

Just before Isamu left, the Kazekage took him aside.

"Your daughter will become a strong ninja one day. I hope that we have brought her up in a way that will make you proud of her. I also hope that she will help cement the alliance between the Sand and the Smoke. Please take this as a gift for her, for when she is old enough to wield it," he said, handing Isamu a Katana.

Sharino watched as the man she had known as a father talked with the man who was her father by birth, a tear running down her cheek. She understood why she had to leave, but she was afraid of what would happen now that she belonged to the Smoke village and not to the Sand. Her sense of identity was confused as she tried to think how she would adapt to her world being completely transformed.

The Kazekage returned to her, with her real father standing just beside him. Her adoptive father put a comforting hand on her shoulder, crouching to look her in the face. "You will always be welcome here," he said. "As long as the Sand and the Smoke are allies." She smiled weakly, but her cheeks were still streaked with tears. Then, the Kazekage stood and withdrew a few paces.

"Are you ready, Sharino," Isamu said. She nodded, once more waving sadly to Temari, Kankurou and Yashamaru, who was holding the youngest of the Kazekage's sons.

It would not be the last time she visited Suna, but it was the last time that it was her home.

>>>

As the two remaining ninja attacked, Tenten sent kunai raining down upon them. Gai and Lee watched as they frantically tried to dodge the attacks. A few missed, and none were critical hits, but Tenten's accuracy was still astounding as the ninja tried to evade weapons that seemed to come from nowhere.

Gai and Lee attacked them then, in formation. They gave the attacking ninja a few blows from their deadly Taijutsu. The enemy soon realised that they were defeated and ran off before waiting for a second, worse onslaught. Gai was sorry that he had had to let them go, but he did not want to chase after them into any number of unpleasant situations. Neji appeared from nowhere, returning from his own battle and from looking around to see if any other attackers were coming.

It was, by that time, getting towards late afternoon. They were supposed to get back to the village by nightfall. It was time to leave.

---

Reiboshi looked around to see Sharino appear. She looked almost worn out, and her clothes were muddied.

"Are you all right?" he asked. She smiled.

"I'm fine, though I nearly wasn't," she said. Then her face became more serious. "Jirou is among the Missing-Nin. He's been spying on us." Reiboshi looked shocked, raising an eyebrow.

"Kemuri Shinjun? _Smoke infiltration technique_," he asked. Sharino nodded.

"I believe someone on your team has it," she said, in a somewhat lower voice. Reiboshi frowned.

"But that's not possible. If it were one of us we would have sensed it. That jutsu is not undetectable to those of a high enough level!" Sharino nodded.

"I know, but it can be missed in certain situations. They have been under a lot of pressure. All I know is that shortly after leaving you, I was attacked by Jirou and the Cloud ninja from before." Reiboshi nodded.

"What about the other teams. If Jirou managed to get into the village, he may have somehow got to the Konoha ninja too."

"I've considered that," she said. "I will go to them and see now." Reiboshi nodded. In a flash, Sharino was gone.

The fact that they were being spied upon made a lot of sense, but to Reiboshi it seemed strange that, if his team did have a spy, they had not been attacked, but Sharino had.

He beckoned over a member of his team and closed his eyes, testing to see if he could sense the presence of the infiltrating smoke. The first one was free of the jutsu, as was Isako and the other Jounin-level ninja that had been chosen for the team. When he looked into the eyes of the last ninja, though, he sensed something that should not be. He smiled.

Bringing his hands together, he concentrated on him.

"Kai!" he said. "_Release_." The ninja coughed and a tiny wisp of smoke came out with the cough and disappeared into the wind.

"What was that?" Isako asked, seeing him.

"Kemuri Shinjun," he replied. Isako looked shocked. "Jirou," was all the explanation Reiboshi offered, but Isako seemed to understand.

---

Kakashi and his team were the last to return to the village that night, arriving just after sunset, Naruto and Sasuke carrying Nekoya draped between them. The suffocating black smoke technique took a lot of chakra, and he had combined it with two other chakra-consuming jutsu. It was not surprising that he was exhausted.

Sharino met them just inside the village boundaries and went to all of the Genin in turn, asking them how the day had been. Naruto went into a rather excited explanation of his battle with Sasuke against one of the Missing-Nin. Kakashi watched her carefully, exchanging a meaningful look with Genma. Both of them knew that she was up to something more.

When Sharino looked at Naruto, she now knew what it was that had made him so uneasy the whole time.

"Kai!" she said, concentrating on him. Naruto coughed suddenly, and just as with the other Smoke ninja, he coughed out a wisp of smoke. He didn't seem to notice and carried on recounting how he had defeated the ninja, playing down Sasuke's part and over-emphasising his own.

Finally, Sharino managed to free herself from him, and she beckoned Kakashi and Genma to a meeting with Reiboshi, Gai and her father about all that had happened that day. She entrusted Nekoya to the three Genin, who took him back towards his own house, where they were also staying.

"What was that Smoke jutsu?" Kakashi asked Sharino. She hesitated before answering, as the Kemuri Shinjun was one of her village's most secret techniques. But then she nodded. Her father trusted Kakashi, so the least she could do was grant him the same trust.

"Kemuri Shinjun," she said.

"Kemuri Shinjun?" Genma repeated, unfamiliar with the technique.

"It's a special infiltration technique," she explained. "It takes the form of a wisp of smoke, infused with some of the user's essence. The victim then breathes in the smoke and the user can see through their eyes by using a medium, such as a still water surface or a sheet of ice. It's used to spy on the enemy. One of our Smoke ninja is among the Missing-Nin."

"How did it get into Naruto?" said Kakashi. Sharino thought back to the first time that she had met Naruto.

"I believe I inadvertently brought it to Konoha. Though difficult, it is possible to attach the smoke to a person without their actually breathing it in. Its effectiveness is greatly reduced that way, but it allows a limited amount of vision. If the ninja attached it to me, they would have waited until they found a low-level ninja to infiltrate. Jounin and some Chuunin can detect the jutsu, and dispel it before it is useful. Genin and most Chuunin would not know anything was wrong. If they had used the jutsu on me, or you, it would not have worked."

"What about Gai's team?" Genma asked. Sharino shook her head.

"I don't believe they could have been infected, because they have had less exposure to the enemy, but I will check them after the meeting."

By that time they were at Isamu's house, and it was time to discuss the day's events and plan for tomorrow. Sharino let Kakashi and Genma enter before her, then she took a deep breath and followed.


	11. All in a Day's work

AN: Thanks very much to ShounenSuki (again) for providing Reiboshi's Kekkai Genkai (Bloodline Limit).

**11- All in a Day's Work**

"I do not think the enemy were trying to kill us," said Kakashi. Isamu looked confused, but Gai agreed.

"Many of the ninja we have seen have used a few Jounin level techniques, but they fight in the open, using little or no strategy. If they are trying to defeat us, they are extremely poorly organised."

"But if they are not, and they are sending these attacks in order to mislead us, then it makes a lot more sense," finished Genma, thinking as they spoke about the events of the day. Sharino was sitting next to him and she frowned, not understanding what they were saying.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Genma continued; "The attacks came when and where we were expecting them, except that the team that should have been the biggest target…"

"My team…" said Reiboshi. Genma nodded, carrying on.

"…Was left untouched: Exactly. Now that we know about the spy technique, we know how they knew where we all were, but we also know they had a spy among Reiboshi's team, so they must have been avoiding attacking them for a reason. What could that reason be?" They were silent for a moment, the six ninja all deep in thought.

"Sharino, you said they seemed to be looking for something," Kakashi said, looking at Sharino and then at Isamu. Sharino frowned.

"Yes, but we don't have any idea what it could be," she replied.

"It would have to be something that was secret, even to the ninja in the village. Otherwise, the Smoke ninja among the Missing-Nin would know where it was," said Kakashi.

"And it would have to be something very powerful, otherwise the trouble they have gone to would be excessive," Genma added. They were silent again, this time for longer.

"I know what it is," said Reiboshi finally. Sharino looked at him, an eyebrow raised, confused.

"What?" she asked.

"Me," he said. Sharino's eyes widened in recognition. She gasped, as did her father.

"The Kagirinai Rensetsu!" whispered Sharino. _The Endless Connection_. Kakashi looked from Isamu to Sharino to Reiboshi, waiting for an explanation. Reiboshi explained in a solemn tone.

"It is my Kekkai Genkai, a Bloodline Limit in the Yumeda clan that allows me to telepathically communicate with those of my bloodline, or those who are close to me. It also allows me to teleport to the side of any of my bloodline, and call them to mine when I need them."

"It is possible that Jirou knew of the bloodline, but did not know what clan here possessed it. It is not widely known. Perhaps he told the leader of the group, who then decided to search for it," Sharino said. Kakashi nodded.

"If they thought that one of the Smoke ninja possessed the Kekkai Genkai but did not know which one, then they would want to leave them alone. Otherwise, they may accidentally kill the one they wanted, or have to expend a lot of energy capturing them all," Kakashi said thoughtfully.

"So they attacked us, to make us think that the attacks were some random vendetta on the Smoke village, and they tried to capture Sharino to find out who possessed the Kekkai Genkai," Gai finished. Once more, silence fell upon them as they considered this. With the secrets of a Kekkai Genkai as powerful as the Kagirinai Rensetsu, the ninja would be able to coordinate attacks even more silently, and travel great distances in a flash. It could spell the downfall of many of their targets. They had to make sure it remained a secret.

"So what will we do tomorrow?" asked Genma. Sharino glanced across the room at Reiboshi. She looked very worried, but he did not appear particularly concerned.

"There cannot be more than thirty of them left…" started Gai.

"Closer to twenty if you count those that Nekoya and the Sand Nin killed…" added Sharino.

"Sand Nin?" Isamu said, shocked. Sharino's face flushed red as she realised that she had told Reiboshi and the Konoha Jounin about Temari's appearance, but she had not mentioned it to her father. He was already angry about Isako, but now he looked absolutely furious with her.

"Three, including Temari, from the Sand village came, hunting one of the Missing-Nin originally from Sunagakure," she said, keeping her eyes on the floor and avoiding making eye contact with her father.

"Temari!" Isamu said, his voice a little bit louder and his eyes a little wider.

"Nevertheless," Kakashi said, keeping his eye on father and daughter, wondering who Temari was and why this upset Isamu so much. "They evidently helped us, somewhat. Tomorrow we must try a different strategy. Today's plan obviously only served to have them test our ability." Sharino nodded, grateful to Kakashi for interrupting her father.

"We need to attack them, this time. Otherwise this pattern could last for days," said Genma. Kakashi nodded. It was definitely time to counter-attack if the village's people, and its Kekkai Genkai, were to be protected.

---

Naruto was definitely back to his usual self. Whatever Sharino had done had worked. If possible, he seemed bouncier than ever. All the fears he'd felt, and his odd feelings of déjà vu had come from the spying jutsu. The Kyuubi, which provided Naruto with his incredible healing abilities, was also sensitive to the jutsu, able to realise that something was not right. Kakashi even wondered if Naruto had been able to sense the spy's essence. That would explain why the Flame country had seemed so familiar to him.

When Kakashi found him, Naruto was eating with Sakura and Sasuke. The young Uchiha was silent as usual. He had barely formed a complete sentence that day. Sakura and Naruto, though, seemed to be in better spirits.

Kakashi came to meet them straight from his meeting with the other Jounin. He was debating whether or not to involve them in the final battle. They had done very well so far, but tomorrow would be different. They would be fighting against more opponents at once than they had as yet and they would be fighting against many who were much stronger than them.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Sakura said, seeing him standing in the doorway watching them eat. "Have you eaten?" she said, gesturing to the still full plates in front of them. He waved a hand expansively.

"I'm fine," he said, moving over to sit next to them. "Are you guys all right?" he asked. Sasuke nodded, Naruto grinned, and Sakura gave him a weak smile.

"Kakashi-Sensei, will we be fighting again tomorrow?" Naruto asked enthusiastically. He seemed as bright as ever. Sakura looked a little worried by the question. Kakashi noticed that she seemed tired. So did Sasuke, although Naruto with his seemingly infinite stamina looked as energetic as ever.

"That's what I came to talk to you guys about," he said. They looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "I don't want you guys to come out with us. I want you to stay here…" he said. Naruto's face fell, and then he frowned in anger, shouting at his Sensei.

"But surely the Smoke will need all the great ninjas they can get to help in this! I can help!" Sasuke gave a little grunt of derision.

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura said, angrily. Kakashi looked compassionately at Naruto.

"I don't want you guys involved in this. Tomorrow we are taking the fight to the enemy. I don't know how many ninja there will be, or what level they will be. I just know that it is dangerous, and I may not be able to protect you if you get into trouble."

"I won't need protecting! I will surpass them all! I'm not afraid!" shouted Naruto. Sakura smacked him around the back of the head.

"I said shut up, idiot. Kakashi-Sensei is trying to stop us from getting killed!" she said. Naruto fell back into his seat, nursing the lump that Sakura's punch brought out.

"Naruto is right," said Sasuke more quietly. Sakura looked at him in blank disbelief. He didn't return her look, instead staring straight ahead, looking at nothing in particular, his head rested on his folded hands.

"Huh?" she said, as if Naruto being right was a completely alien concept to her. Sasuke turned his head to look at Kakashi.

"The Smoke are Konoha's allies. We are here to help them. We cannot do that in the village when the enemies are outside. We should fight," he said. Sakura looked at him and smiled with admiration.

"You're so brave, Sasuke-kun!" she said. Kakashi looked at his team. He remembered how they had fought against Zabuza and Haku and he smiled under his mask.

"If you are determined to fight, then you will," he said. "But there will not be any chance to turn back once we are in the forest." Naruto nodded.

"When I put this forehead protector on, I become a ninja of Konoha," he said, gesturing to the symbol on his forehead. "I will not run away!" he said. Kakashi nodded.

"So be it. We leave at first light."

---

Sharino was once again in her favourite spot above the village. It was where she always came to think, to be alone. She sat, thinking for the first time in a long while about Temari. The last time she had seen her old friend was over a year ago when she returned to Sunagakure with her father when he was engaged in some peace talks with the Kazekage.

Sharino had been more eager than anyone for the talks to succeed. She knew that she would find fighting the Sand almost impossible. A small part of her still saw the Sand as her home, even though she had long since found her place among the ninja of the Smoke.

There were no friends like Temari among Sharino's comrades in the Smoke, though. All those her own age looked up to her because she was stronger than they were. Those who were older than her were either jealous of her abilities, or still viewed her as a child, still young, still inexperienced. The closest friend she had was Nekoya, and even they were somewhat separated, because Kenshin had taught both of them when they were Genin, and yet she was not much older than Nekoya was.

Between the two villages as she was, Sharino often felt trapped. She sometimes wished she could return to her youth in the Sand, training with Temari, learning how to be a ninja of the country of Wind. Maybe the Kazekage was not her real father, but he had brought her up in his household, trained her like she was one of them. Umatatsu Isamu had done nothing but forgotten her for five years of her life and taught her how to summon the horses. It was Kenshin and Reiboshi that had trained her to be a ninja of the Smoke, teaching her the Enton and Doton jutsu of her new home village.

Sighing, Sharino stood to return to her house. When she turned, she saw Genma standing in front of her and started. She had not heard him approaching.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to alarm you," he said. She instantly changed her expression to a frown.

"It's my fault. I was not alert enough," she said. Genma approached her, a kind expression his face. She noticed with amusement that he had found a replacement toothpick, after losing his in battle. She wondered if he slept with it in his mouth, still chewing.

"You put too much pressure on yourself," he said. "No one can be alert all the time." She looked at him carefully.

"In our line of work inattentiveness can cost you your life," she replied.

There was a long moment of silence as the two looked at each other, considering. Genma moved to her side and looked out, as she had so many times, over the village and past the steam into the woods beyond. A crescent moon stood proud in the sky above the village. It was beautiful.

"I can see why you like this spot so much," he said. She smiled.

"Why are you here, Genma-san?" she asked. Genma smiled at her.

"I went for a walk and found myself here," he replied.

"You know what I mean. Back in Konoha, in the Hokage's office, you said you owed my clan a debt. What debt?" Genma sighed staring once more at the moon and the stars that surrounded it. There were few clouds that night, and those that there were, were lit up in interesting shades of blue and grey by the light of the moon. He took a long moment before he answered.

"Nearly 13 years ago, your father and uncle helped Konoha fight the nine-tailed demon fox, along with several other ninjas from the Smoke village." he explained. "I believe that it was also when Kakashi met your father for the first time. I, too, was there that night. I was a Chuunin at the time, not very experienced at such battles. I happened to be in the squad that was working with the Smoke ninja. The fox was very powerful, as I'm sure you know. We were just trying to keep it away from the village long enough so that the Yondaime Hokage could come and defeat it." He paused, his eyes flickering as if he could still see the battle in his mind.

"The Kyuubi was nearby. One of its tails came sweeping towards my team. I was directly in its path, unable to jump out of its way… Your uncle jumped in front of me, taking the full force of the tail. He died to save my life. From that day I swore that if there was ever a way I could repay that debt to the Umatatsu clan and the Smoke village, I would take it." Sharino looked at the Special Jounin, examining his face. Then their eyes met and she smiled.

"Thank you, Genma-san. This will not be forgotten." He smiled in reply, nodding acknowledgement. Then the two turned to go back to the village. The next day would be a trying one, and even Jounin needed to rest sometimes.


	12. Battle for the Smoke

AN: Thanks to all those who have written reviews! I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far, and I hope the remainder lives up to your expectations. The biggest problem I've had is that, because of when the story is set, there is very little character development I can do with the main characters. This is why I've concentrated mostly on the Smoke ninja and, to a certain extent, Genma… I've also tried to show the rivalry between Neji and Lee in a mission setting. I hope it's to people's liking. :)

Translations: Kekkai Genkai is bloodline limit. Henge is the transformation technique. Kaiten (Short for Hakkeshou Kaiten) is Neji's divination whirl.

**12- Battle for the Smoke: "Either Way, It Ends Here!"**

Nekoya ran down into the street, Toramaru at his heels. He had awoken to find the five Konoha ninja gone. He couldn't believe he was being left behind!

"Sharino-san!" he shouted, seeing her talking with Kakashi. She looked at him and sighed.

"Nekoya, you should still be in bed! You are not recovered enough to fight today!" she said.

"I can fight! I'm absolutely fine!" he replied. Kakashi smiled at him.

"You remind me of Naruto," he said. "But you have already been a great help. You did very well against those ninja yesterday."

"Nekoya, look at you," said Sharino. "You are strong, but you overdid it yesterday. I doubt you could summon enough strength to perform a Henge. Please rest today." He looked upset, but Toramaru looked up at him and mewed in agreement. He growled at the cat.

"You're against me too?" he said. Then he nodded in submission. "Ok, I'll stay behind this once, but next time, I'll be out there with you!" he said. Sharino laughed.

"You think I'd have it any other way?" she said. He smiled, but then his face became more serious.

"Defeat them. For Kenshin," he said. Sharino nodded solemnly before she motioned to Kakashi and they turned to head out into the forest.

Nekoya watched as Sharino, Kakashi and Genma left with Kakashi's Genin team. He was disappointed that they would be fighting and he would not, but he had to admit that he still felt weak. In the worst case scenario he would only get in the way, but even if he didn't there would be few ways in which he could help. After a little while, Nekoya turned and walked, much more slowly, back towards his home.

When they had walked a little way, Kakashi asked Sharino where the other teams were.

"Gai and his team left early, so that he and Neji could perform some reconnaissance," she replied. "Reiboshi and Isako are getting final orders from my father. I expect they will catch up with us soon."

"Is it wise to have Reiboshi with us?" Kakashi asked, wondering about throwing the bearer of the Kekkai Genkai that the Missing-Nin were searching for into battle with those that wanted him. Sharino smiled.

"I know what you think, but he'll be fine. Though he looks like a sixteen-year-old, he's trained me since before I became a Genin. He is the most experienced man we have. I, for one, am extremely glad he was in the village at the time these attacks started." Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Is he away often?"

"Officially he is not even a Smoke ninja anymore," Sharino explained. "He is a Hermit. But he still helps us occasionally with missions. And he is a good friend." Kakashi nodded. Sharino didn't mention that Reiboshi also carried a sword that was a fearsome treasure of the Yumeda clan, a weapon that few fought and survived. If all Reiboshi's other abilities became useless, that would keep him safe.

"Has your father relented to let Isako fight today?" Kakashi asked.

"It seems so, though he was not easy to convince," she said. That was an understatement. It had taken her and Isako practically begging him for nearly half an hour before he had relented and said she could go, on the condition she stay with a Jounin at all times. Sharino was not sure whether to be touched by his concern for her sister, or to be jealous that he never seemed to show the same concern for her.

"I am glad," Kakashi said. "I have heard of her strength in fighting in these conditions. Her help will be needed." Sharino nodded. With over half of the Smoke's shinobi either still away on missions or unable to fight, they needed Isako more than ever. Even her father had eventually realised that. Perhaps if more of the Nekozaki clan were in the village, or if the rest of the Yumeda clan were willing to fight in this battle then Isamu could have his way and protect Isako, but there were too few of them. They needed her.

"This will be the last battle," said Sharino. "Either way, this must end here, today." Kakashi nodded his agreement. Sharino looked at the tall Konoha Jounin at her side and was once again extremely glad of his presence.

---

Neji looked as though he was staring into space, although the veins on his face standing out made it clear that he was using his Byakugan. He was looking towards the enemy camp.

"Are they there," Gai asked. Neji nodded.

"I cannot see how many, but they are there. They do not appear to be on the move, either." Gai nodded.

"They are probably unsure of what to do now that their spy jutsu has been discovered." Lee stood a little way behind him, wishing that he could see what Neji could see. There were enemies out there, waiting to be fought. He itched with excitement, barely able to keep still.

"What is the plan today, Gai-sensei?" Lee asked. The meeting the previous evening had gone on quite late. By the time Gai had got back, Lee and Tenten had already worn themselves out in the village's training ground and fallen asleep. Neji, though awake, had not been in a mood to talk, so Gai had left him walking around the dark streets of the village.

"Today we are taking the fight to the enemy," Gai said. "My eternal rival, Kakashi and I came up with a plan to attack them."

"The best defense is a good offense!" agreed Lee. Neji grunted disdainfully. Lee glared at the back of the Hyuuga's head with eyes so hard that he would have felt them even if he didn't have the Byakugan. 'It's all right for you,' he thought 'not all of us have a defense like the Kaiten!'

"Is that glare another challenge, Lee?" Neji said, still not looking at Lee. "Do you want to get beaten again?" Lee narrowed his eyes, but Gai rested a hand on his student's shoulder.

"There is no time to fight amongst ourselves. We have an enemy to face." Neji turned on Lee, his Byakugan still active, his eyes seeing through everything. The corner of Neji's mouth turned up in a half-smile and to Lee those eyes said 'a dropout is a dropout,' over and over again. They dared him to challenge Neji, but Gai was right: The Missing-Nin were the enemy. Lee forced himself to turn away from him, ignoring the Hyuuga's penetrating eyes that still drilled into the back of his head.

At that moment, two Smoke ninja, Isako and Reiboshi, appeared nearby.

"Are they still in the camp?" asked Reiboshi. Gai nodded.

"It seems so," he replied. Reiboshi looked briefly around, then back to Gai.

"Sharino is with Kakashi-san," he said. "I will go and tell them. Isako, go with Gai-san to guard the East Side of their camp and make sure none of them escape, and fight those that do. We will attack from the West."

"I understand," said Gai. With that, Reiboshi disappeared, heading back towards the other group. In a way, Gai was disappointed that he wouldn't be fighting with Kakashi, but for the plan to succeed in stopping the Missing-Nin, they needed to have forces on both flanks.

Isako beckoned to him, and they followed her in a roundabout path that avoided the points where Neji located lookouts or traps. When in position, they found places to hide, and watch, and wait.

---

"They are ready," said Reiboshi, landing next to Sharino as he appeared out of the trees. She acknowledged him with a nod and motioned to Kakashi and Genma. It was time to move. Sharino looked at Naruto and the other Genin to see how they were faring. Naruto looked excited and determined. Sasuke looked grim. Only Sakura showed any sign of fear, but she was putting on a brave face. If Sharino had been Kakashi, she would have been extremely proud of them.

"Let's go," she said and they started on their way.

---

Ketsume kicked Jirou's bowl out of his hand and it landed in the stream.

"Of course you can't see anything!" he shouted. "As soon as that Smoke kid found out you were involved she will have found who held the jutsu and dispelled it! If only those Sand meddlers hadn't shown up! We would have what we want by now. As it is we've lost a couple of our best ninja to them!" He growled in aggravation.

Suddenly another Missing-Nin bearing the symbol of the Hidden Waterfall Village on his forehead protector appeared.

"Ketsume-san," he said. "There is a group of Konoha ninja attacking from the West, with two Smoke shinobi.

"So that's how it is, is it?" Ketsume said, his expression grim. "Jirou, gather the men. We have some ninja to fight!"

---

Sharino took a deep breath, watching the ninja in the camp. They did not seem to be ready for a fight, but she guessed that they had already been alerted of the imminent attack. There were bound to have been lookouts somewhere along the path of their approach. Kakashi and Genma were beside her. Kakashi looked at her. She nodded. Her left hand was on her Katana's hilt, ready to draw it. Her right hand was raised in front of her as she molded chakra for the coming battle.

They lunged forward, four Jounin and three Genin all rushing into the camp at once. The enemy ninja were up and ready to defend immediately. One seemed to have had a jutsu ready, as he formed a seal as they attacked, and a wave of water rushed from the stream towards where Kakashi and Genma were standing. The two Konoha Jounin jumped out of its way, Kakashi forming his own jutsu at the same time.

Before he could complete it, there was a loud crack of thunder and all the Leaf and Smoke ninja looked to the other side of the camp. Ketsume, the Cloud ninja stood there with Jirou and three others, to add to the numbers in the clearing. If any of them had been hoping for an easy victory, that hope was now gone.

Sharino shouted "Reiboshi, I'll take the Cloud ninja! You get Jirou!" Reiboshi was about to do as she said, but Jirou and Ketsume had other plans. Jirou jumped over to where the three Leaf Genin stood, blocking them. The other ninja, nine in total, surrounded Kakashi and Genma, hoping to overwhelm them with numbers. The Leaf Jounin stood back to back in the centre of the circle, neither looking particularly concerned.

Sharino and Reiboshi were left facing the ex-Cloud shinobi, both looking up at him as he stood on his branch, all too confident in his abilities and in the abilities of his companions. He smiled. Sharino and Reiboshi glanced at each other, then back at him. As one, they drew their swords and started forward.

---

Neji dropped into a fighting stance, so the others with him did the same.

"What is it?" said Tenten. Neji glanced at her, then back to where he had been looking. "Eight enemy ninja, heading our way," he said. Gai smiled.

"For the springtime of life!" he said, winking at Isako. She smiled in return; finding that she liked this rather oddly dressed ninja of the Leaf.


	13. No Smoke without Fire

**13- No Smoke without Fire.**

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura found their way blocked by Jirou, the enemy Smoke Nin. He stood squarely in their path to Kakashi and Genma. The four ninja stopped, standing stock still as they summed each other up. Sasuke looked ready to spring. Naruto faced him square on with no fear in his face. Sakura was unsure of what to do and just stood watching Jirou.

"So you're the Leaf kids?" Jirou said derisively. "You don't even look like real ninja!"

"I'm going to be the greatest ninja in Konoha one day!" Naruto barked back. Jirou laughed at him.

"Greatest ninja in Konoha? You need more than a loud voice for that!" he replied. Naruto smiled, crossing his fingers in the familiar hand seal for his favourite technique.

"Oh yeah?" he said. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" he shouted. Jirou gasped in surprise as about ten copies of the noisy ninja appeared. "How's this?" they shouted at once, all starting forwards. The Smoke Nin's eyes widened as he wondered how to combat them all at once.

---

Sharino leapt toward Ketsume, her Katana swinging to meet him. Ketsume dodged, moving so fast that it looked as though he disappeared. Sharino's Katana swept through the empty air where he had stood and buried itself in the branch. As she dragged it free, Ketsume appeared above her, dropping down to attack. Reiboshi concentrated his chakra into his sword. His sword, the Oni Tsurugi '_demon sword_' could change size and length according to Reiboshi's will. He extended the blade while jumping towards Sharino, so that the sword came between Ketsume and Sharino.

Ketsume jumped away and Reiboshi retracted the blade again. By then, Sharino had righted herself, and stood to face Ketsume again. He formed a set of hand seals and Sharino was forced to dodge a quick succession of lightning strikes.

"Damn it!" she cursed as she dodged a second attack. Ketsume was driving her further into the forest, away from Kakashi and the other Leaf ninja. Divide and conquer. She grabbed a kunai from the pouch on her leg and threw it towards the Cloud ninja. He dodged it easily. Jumping from branch to branch, she whirled again to swing her Katana to his throat. Again he jumped away.

"Reiboshi!" she called. The other Smoke ninja nodded, swinging down from the branches above to stand in front of her, while she sheathed her Katana and formed a jutsu.

Ketsume tried to get around him, but Reiboshi jumped to meet him. His sword cut through the Cloud ninja and Reiboshi smiled. Then two halves of a log appeared in the place of the enemy ninja, and he spun around to see where he had gone. Sharino saw him though, heading towards her, whilst forming a jutsu.

"Enton: Dokugemuri! _Smoke element: poison smoke_," she shouted, exhaling a stream of thick grey smoke towards the oncoming ninja. Reiboshi looked at him hopefully to see if Sharino's deadly jutsu had worked. But the cloud ninja disappeared. It was a Kage Bunshin.

"Behind you!" Reiboshi called, too far away to attack Ketsume. Sharino turned and ducked in one fluid motion, her hunting knife suddenly in her hands, cutting towards his legs. He jumped and a ball of lightning rushed from his hands. Sharino was about to dodge when she realised that it was directed not at her, but at Reiboshi. It hit her friend square on, too fast for him to escape, and he went flying backwards into the forest.

"REIBOSHI!" she shouted after him. There was no reply. She started to follow him, but Ketsume had other ideas.

"You're not going anywhere!" the Cloud ninja shouted, sending another flash of lightning towards her as she dodged from branch to branch.

Sharino stood looking at him, and smiled bitterly. It was time to use a special technique. She took a deep breath, drawing her Katana once more and holding it in front of her, her hands forming a seal around the hilt. Molding chakra, she activated five symbols on the Katana's blade, which glowed a fierce gold as she infused the sword with her chakra.

_>>>_

_Three years ago_

Sharino greeted Reiboshi with a proud grin on her face. He had been unable to leave the village to see the main matches of the Chuunin exams, but she had understood that. It was enough that he was there, with Nekozaki Takashi and Nekoya, when she returned. She had fought three vicious opponents in her struggle, and had defeated all of them. The Feudal Lord judges had awarded her, a Leaf Genin and a Genin from the Sand village the title of Chuunin. Isamu, as the leader of a village taking part in the main matches, had gone to Sunagakure to see the main matches. He had, however, returned separately before her.

"Well done Sharino. You did well," Reiboshi said. "I hope our training helped!"

"So that's where that move came from," Kenshin said, smiling at his student. "I did wonder!" At that point, Isamu appeared behind Reiboshi, and Reiboshi stepped aside so that she could greet her father.

"I am very proud of you, Sharino," Isamu said. She grinned at the compliment. Beside her, Kenshin placed a hand on her shoulder. Her team mates smiled graciously from behind her. They had, unfortunately not become Chuunin, one being defeated by the Sand Nin that eventually became a Chuunin, the other losing in the first round to a Leaf Genin who was later eliminated. But they were glad for their team mate.

After the initial greetings were finished, Isamu and Sharino returned to their home.

"How was it to return to Sunagakure?" Isamu asked. He had not had a chance to speak to her during the main matches, presiding over them as he was with the Kazekage and the Hokage.

"It was great to see Temari and Kankurou again," she said, grinning. Her father smiled, but it seemed forced somehow. He did not really like her being reminded of her early years in Sunagakure, but he knew he could not steal friends from his daughter, so he let it go. Besides, he was about to give her a tool that came from the Sand, honouring his agreement with the Kazekage.

Isamu turned to go to the chest at the back of the room where he kept the Katana that the Kazekage had given Isamu for her. He opened it and took it out, a strong looking weapon. The scabbard was plain black, except for a band of silver around the top, and the hilt was similarly simple, with just the ordinary black and white diamond patterned grip. But as he drew the Katana and it caught the light, there were faint marks on the blade. Five kanji, each representing the Five countries; Fire, Wind, Water, Earth and Lightning.

"This Katana was given to me on your behalf when you first left the Sand village," Isamu said, bringing it closer to her so that she could see it properly. "It acts as an ordinary sword, but if you are strong enough, it can be used with even deadlier force. The five symbols represent the five main elemental attacks. When infused with chakra, the sword can be wielded so that each blow releases whichever of these five elemental attacks the user wants, increasing the damage done by a potentially vast amount."

Sharino took the Katana and stared in awe at the symbols on the blade. She wondered if she would have the strength to wield it. It must take an incredible amount of chakra to use to its full potential. Isamu was thinking a similar thing. It might be a few years before Sharino had the chakra capacity to use the Katana to its full potential, but one day, she would be able to. When that happened, Isamu was glad that he wouldn't be on the receiving end.

>>>

"Goken Toujin: Goken Kai! _Five element Katana blade: five element release_," Sharino said quietly as the sword came alive in her hands. The power of it seemed to hum under her palms as she changed her grip and shifted her body into an attack stance. She smiled at the Lightning ninja and jumped towards him, the Katana held out in front of her, ready to strike.

---

Fighting nine Chuunin level ninjas whilst trapped in the middle of a circle of them shouldn't have been very easy, but Kakashi and Genma did not seem worried as their opponents started closing in on them. Kakashi looked bored, Genma simply looked ready for the fight as he thoughtfully chewed on his toothpick. He glanced over his shoulder at Kakashi.

"What do you think?" he said.

"I could do this without using my Sharingan," the Copy Ninja replied. Genma smiled. As one, the two started forming hand seals. Kakashi's were for a Suiton technique he hoped to surprise them with. Genma formed one of the Katon techniques that were almost compulsory jutsu for Leaf ninja. The two attacks were launched at the same time and the nine ninja were scattered, some dodging and breaking the circle, others being swept away in the water-wave. One caught the fireball on his leg, burning away the fabric of his trousers.

The two Leaf shinobi split apart, each now with a kunai in their hand. Kakashi jumped to meet one of the ninja in mid-air, their kunai meeting in front them with a clash, then Kakashi brought the back of his fist down against the ninja's chest. He crashed down towards the floor, but as he hit, he seemed to melt into a pile of mud. He had used a Kawarimi technique. Kakashi was unconcerned as he deflected another enemy's kunai and rounded on another opponent.

Genma settled on a mixture of Taijutsu and basic Genjutsu techniques. As two of the enemy ninja charged him at once from opposite directions, he jumped into the air and span around in a kick that hit both in the head. They dropped back, and Genma used a Genjutsu that made a third ninja appear to sink into the mud.

This enemy was resilient, though, and kept coming back for more no matter how he attacked. Genma eventually smiled, knowing that this strategy would not work forever.

"Kakashi," he said, knocking another ninja back to the floor with a devastating kick. He jumped closer to Kakashi so that the others could not hear him, and whispered something to the Jounin. Kakashi did not say anything, acknowledging him only by a small nod that many would have missed. Suddenly there was another kunai in his hand and he was leaping to meet another of the ninja that had once again picked himself up from the ground.


	14. Isako's Strength

AN: Sorry it's been a while since I last updated…I'm back at uni now, and I'm having trouble sorting out the net connection in my room, so it's been a bit difficult. Also, I need to learn time-management skills. I hate work! I did intend on having all or most of this up before I came here… now it's two weeks into term. Sigh.

This chapter includes my favourite of my original jutsu. It's mainly my favourite because I only thought of what it would do after I already came up with the name for it, but I think it's funky :P. I plan to update again soon, but it looks like I have a busy week this week, so it might not be till the weekend.

Enjoy.

**14- Isako's Strength**

Gai decided to stand back and let his Genin fight when he realised the level of the attacking ninja. Neji alone could probably have handled them. One, however, looked as though he would cause much more of a problem. It was a ninja originally from the Hidden Falls village, obviously at Jounin level. Gai had him labelled as a threat and was planning on attacking himself.

The Falls ninja, however, was intent upon the oldest child of Umatatsu Isamu. When Gai tried to intervene, he was cut off by one of the other Missing-Nin. Isako was fighting the Falls Jounin, but doing so dragged her further away from the Leaf team and deeper into the forest. Gai tried once more to get to her, but one of the other ninja ran at him. In this moment of distraction, Isako was gone from sight.

At that moment he heard Tenten cry out in pain, and spun around to see what had happened. One of the enemy ninja had managed to slice her leg with a kunai.

"Tenten!" Lee shouted, running to her aide. Lee kicked the ninja squarely in the chest, sending him flying, and then he spun around to launch a combo of punches on a second. Neji was squaring off against one of the ninja who thought of himself as a Taijutsu specialist. He obviously hadn't fought a Hyuuga before.

Neji jumped towards him, easily blocking kicks and punches, dodging and diving out of the way, his palms easily swiping blows away, always with his eyes on the opponent. Those eyes that saw everything. Those eyes that could see the inner coils wrapped around the internal organs, carrying chakra around the body. Those eyes that could see to push chakra into those coils.

The enemy aimed a kick to Neji's head. Neji ducked underneath it and both his palms landed squarely in the centre of his opponent's chest. The ninja was pushed backwards, but managed to keep his feet for a second before dropping to his knees, coughing up mouthfuls of blood, confused as to how the blow could have caused so much damage. He got up slowly, trying to round on Neji again. Neji's response was ruthless. He aimed one of his Jyuuken attacks straight at his heart, once more sending him to the ground, this time never to stand again.

As Lee and Neji found themselves new opponents, Tenten stood slightly to one side. She looked over at Gai. Gai smiled and nodded at her, giving her a thumbs up. Tenten returned the smile. From somewhere, she produced a scroll. As she performed the necessary maneuvers to summon the weapons the scroll carried, Lee and Neji knocked down two more of the enemy ninja, only one of them still breathing. The remaining ninja started to attack, but Neji and Lee jumped back. It was then that the enemy saw Tenten, seemingly suspended in the air above them. By that point though, it was too late, as the rain of weaponry had already begun.

Seeing that the battle here was over, Gai turned to look for Isako. The Smoke ninja and her opponent were nowhere to be seen.

---

Jirou somehow managed to dodge the flailing fists of Naruto's Kage Bunshin only by using all the speed he could find in himself. He managed to land direct hits on a few of them as he dodged around them, but the remaining clones just kept on coming.

He dodged around another and saw the girl- Sakura- standing and watching, unsure of what to do. He knew he would have difficulty against the Uchiha, and this blonde boy was also proving to be a troublesome opponent, but she would be a much easier target. Then they would be working to protect her, which he could use to his advantage.

Ducking under three more attacks from the shadow clones, Jirou launched himself towards Sakura.

She saw him coming and looked startled for a fraction of a second. Then she pulled a kunai from her pouch and turned to face him. As he ran, Jirou formed a technique.

"Enton: Mahi Kemuri!" he shouted, using his paralysing smoke jutsu on the girl. She tried to move, but was unable to.

From nowhere the Uchiha kid appeared in front of Jirou, between him and Sakura. Jirou saw something terrifying; the red eyes of the Sharingan. He jumped and flipped away, trying to keep a hold of the paralysing jutsu so that the girl, at least, would not try and join the battle.

"Sakura-chan? What's wrong?" cried Naruto, rushing over to her as Sasuke chased after Jirou.

"Naruto!" she said. "I can't move! It must be some form of Kanashibari!" she said, "_body binding_." Naruto stared at her for a moment, wondering what to do. "Don't worry about me," she said, a weak smile on her face. Her limbs quivered as she attempted to break free of the jutsu, but Jirou had enough concentration even through Sasuke's onslaught, to maintain enough chakra to keep the jutsu in effect. "Your opponent is over there," she said, her eyes gesturing to where Sasuke was fighting.

Sasuke had his back to them and was dodging Jirou's movements easily, his own attacks getting through to land vicious hits to the enemy ninja. Then, he jumped back, using one of his favourite Katon jutsu to rain fire down on his opponent.

The distraction caused Jirou's hold on Sakura to weaken, and she dropped to the ground in the second that her body became free. Then, Jirou renewed the hold and she was once more immobile. Naruto then listened to her, running towards Jirou with an angry scream.

"Your friend will not be able to move unless I release her," said Jirou, smiling at Sasuke. His pale grey eyes seemed blank as they peered out from his round face. It gave him quite an eerie appearance, but not as fearsome as the Uchiha bloodline, the eyes that could see through any technique.

"Then I will force you to release her!" he said. Jirou grinned as the young Genin attacked again. Sakura found herself watching the fight from a distance, unable to move or help, or even properly see what was happening.

From nearby, where he and Genma were still fighting the other ninja, Kakashi glanced over and saw Sasuke fighting Jirou. He saw the Sharingan in his eyes and his eyes widened in surprise. His Genin had not told him he had awakened that ability yet. His surprise, though, was short lived, when he was forced to dodge an Earth element technique from one of the attacking ninja. Genma jumped away from them to Kakashi's side, nodding at the other Jounin. Kakashi smiled. It was time to end this.

---

Isako chased the Falls ninja into the forest, not realising how far she was getting from Gai and the others. When her opponent finally turned to square off against her, she could no longer hear the sounds of the battle behind them. She looked around and couldn't see Gai or his Genin anywhere nearby.

She heard laughter from somewhere nearby and jerked around. The Falls-Nin seemed to have disappeared. Her eyes flashed around the forest as she tried to figure out where the laughter was coming from. It seemed to be all around her.

"Damn it," she whispered to herself, feeling distinctly like she had let herself walk into a trap. She looked around her, wondering what she could do. She considered using a Summoning, but a horse would just make a bigger target. She looked up, just as a rain of kunai came down at her. She jumped aside, then noticed an exploding tag attached to one of the kunai.

It caught light as she saw it and as she tried to run, she was pushed forward by the blast and thrown several metres into the air and through the forest. She landed heavily, but forced herself to get up, looking around for the next attack.

The Falls-Nin appeared in front of her as she dragged herself to her feet.

"You should have stayed with your friends. I am a Jounin. You cannot hope to defeat me at the level you are at," he said. Isako stared at him.

"You fight for power and greed, but I fight for my village. When you fight for something worthwhile, you gain true strength," she retorted, her eyes defiant. She was tense, her body like a coiled spring ready to move. Her tumble had not done much more than muddy her dress.

"I have heard the same said many times. All those who said it are behind me now, broken and defeated. True strength comes from fighting for yourself and what you want with all you have. Thoughts of others, all this nobility and altruistic rubbish, these things just clutter your mind so that you cannot truly become strong." Isako shook her head.

"My village is everything to me. With that strength in my heart I can draw more from the things that I love. That power can defeat any obstacle, no matter how difficult it may seem."

The Missing-Nin frowned angrily, growling at her. Isako said nothing, instead performing a sequence of hand seals. 'I may not be a genius like you, Sharino, but I am an Umatatsu!' she thought. She completed the seal and stared into the eyes of her enemy. "Enton: Akuryuu Kemuri no jutsu! _Smoke element: evil Dragon smoke technique_." A tendril of smoke built out of thin air, forming the shape of a dragon with fiery hollows for eyes.

Eyes wide, the Falls ninja was fixed to the spot as he watched the jutsu take form, then rush towards him with a howl of wind and a roar like flames catching on dry wood. The smoke dragon cannoned towards him at a frightening speed, and then it wrapped itself around him, curling the long form around his body several times.

He screamed as the dragon forced its way into him, the smoke disappearing into his skin.

"The smoke will leak into your bloodstream and chakra circulatory system, not only starving your cells of oxygen, but preventing your chakra flow…" she said.

The Falls Jounin screamed again, falling to his knees. "As I said," Isako continued. "It is when we fight for something important to us that we become truly strong!"


	15. Shiranuike Hijutsu: Genwakukou!

**AN: **Really sorry to anyone who's been waiting for me to update this... university and work and apathy have conspired to make me to put this on the backburner... to make up for it, I've posted the last three chapters all at once. Hope you enjoy the ending (if you remember how it began).

I'm also thinking of writing a couple of sequels to this, based around my Smoke village... what do people think? Screaminpsiren and I were thinking of co-writing one, as well... once she's finished her Gaara fanfic.

**15- Shiranui-ke Hijutsu: Genwakukou!**

On either side of the ex-Smoke ninja, Naruto and Sasuke stood, panting with exertion. Jirou had recovered himself after Sasuke's initial onslaught and was now finding his stride. He barely had a mark on him, but Naruto had a thin trickle of blood running down from his mouth and Sasuke was grazed from being thrown skittering across the ground like a pebble. Naruto didn't know what they were doing wrong. Sakura was still paralysed, sitting some way from them now, since the battle had moved away from her. Naruto could barely make out the features on her anxious face.

"It seems you are not yet very good at using that Sharingan of yours," Jirou said, sneering at Sasuke. Sasuke looked angry at this comment, and he lunged for Jirou again. This time, however, Naruto saw that he had a plan.

Swinging low, supporting his weight on one arm, Sasuke aimed a kick around at Jirou's ankles. The ninja easily dodged, but Sasuke was fast, quickly jumping up to kick him again, this time in the chest. His kick was caught. Sasuke twisted so his hands were on the ground and his other foot hit Jirou in the face. The ninja was forced back a step, then Sasuke aimed another punch at him, hitting him squarely in the face. As the young Uchiha jumped away again, Naruto saw the exploding tag attached to the back of the ninja's leg.

"Hmm," said Sasuke, smiling with satisfaction. Jirou was about to jump at him again when the tag caught alight. His face twisted into fear and pain, and then was lost in a cloud of smoke and fire.

---

Kakashi saw the explosion on the other side of the clearing, and saw Naruto and Sasuke rushing to Sakura's side. He had noticed her sitting motionless during the battle, but now she was standing and congratulating Sasuke.

"You're so great, Sasuke-kun!" she shouted, so loudly that Kakashi could hear her clearly, even some distance away. He smiled, then turned his attention back to the fight. Despite taking a beating, eight of the nine enemy ninja were still standing. The other lay, unconscious, a little way away. Genma and Kakashi now once more stood back to back in the middle of a circle of them.

"You ready?" Genma whispered over his shoulder. Kakashi nodded.

"Will those three be affected?" said Kakashi. Genma glanced in the direction of Kakashi's Genin, then grabbed a hand that tried to punch him, gripping the arm with his other hand and throwing its wielder aside.

"They shouldn't be, but you might want to tell them to close their eyes." Kakashi nodded, seeming to disappear as he moved to warn his Genin of Genma's coming technique. The attacking ninja smiled, thinking that eight on one was better odds. Genma smiled, leaping as high into the air as he could and performing a very long sequence of hand seals.

His opponents looked up at him, wondering what technique the Special Jounin was forming. Genma glanced over to Kakashi's Genin and saw that they were turning, their eyes closed tightly. Kakashi himself was once more engaging the enemy, but Genma knew that when the technique was complete, he would also have his visible eye tightly closed.

Genma's hands formed the final seal, and he closed his eyes, shouting; "Shiranui-ke Hijutsu: Genwakukou! _Shiranui Clan Secret Technique: Blinding Light_." The enemy's eyes widened as the clearing was filled with a blinding white light. Those who had their eyes open were instantly blinded, but the technique did more than that. Those affected were also stupefied, rendered completely immobile by the jutsu.

Genma dropped to the ground as Kakashi and his Genin opened their eyes. All the enemy ninja were now as still as statues, blank and dazed looks on their faces. Genma half-smiled, then continued chewing his toothpick.

---

Sharino dropped down onto Ketsume, swinging her Katana at him, and calling "Fuuton!" as she did. The blade swept through the air, a powerful jet of wind gushing from the blade as she did so. Ketsume jumped back, dodging the blow, but getting some of the force of the wind in his chest none the less.

Smiling to see the worried expression on the ex-Cloud ninja's face, she rushed towards him again. "Katon!" she called this time. Again, Ketsume managed to avoid the blade, but the fire hit him in the face. He screamed in pain at the burning. Sharino smiled. "Heh," she said. She landed facing away from him, but instantly span around, gathering chakra in her feet. She jumped to the branch above him and then jumped back down towards him. Worried, Ketsume dodged away again.

"How would you like to be beaten by one of your own techniques?" she shouted. Ketsume dodged her again as she ran towards him, jumping off the branch and back down to the ground: Exactly where Sharino wanted him. "Raiton!" she shouted, jumping vertically downwards towards him, her sword ahead of her spitting sparks of lightning. The sword gave a jolt as it cut into the Cloud ninja's shoulder, slicing down with the power of the lightning in the blade.

She drew it out and jumped back, panting. She retracted the five-element jutsu in her Katana, exhausted from the amount of chakra the attack expended. Panting for breath she looked to where the Cloud ninja had been. Panic struck her as she realised that he had used Kawarimi to dodge her attack. She stood, looking for him.

His attack seemed to come out of nowhere. Bolts of lightning streaked towards her. She tried to dodge, but one strike hit her and she was thrown backwards, into a tree. The force sent jolts through her body and she shuddered, coughing up a mouthful of blood. She tried to right herself, but Ketsume was upon her in a second, already forming a hand seal as he kicked her back into the tree.

"Raiton: Raikou Shimewaza! _Lightning element: lightning stranglehold_." Bands of lightning extended from his hands, wrapping around her neck. She screamed, unable to prevent the attack. A memory of Kenshin's body came to her mind. There had been burn marks around his neck. The hold tightened, and this time she couldn't even gather enough breath to scream.

---

Isako watched as the dragon technique took hold of her victim, and then she watched him fall, the form disintegrating into a puddle of water. She gasped.

"Mizu Bunshin?" she said in disbelief. "_Water clone_." A figure appeared behind her.

"Yeah. Your jutsu is strong, but unfortunately it doesn't have any effect on water clones!" She jumped away as he slashed a kunai across where she had been. The Falls ninja faced her, grinning. "You're better than I thought, I'll give you that. But you still can't beat me!" he shouted.

Isako dodged three shurikens that were thrown at her, running straight up the trunk of a tree and onto a branch above the ninja's head. She formed another set of hand seals and glared down at her enemy.

"Doton: Kukudo Ame no jutsu! _Earth element: Black Earth Rain technique_." The air around her turned black as the mud and earth rained down hard against the Falls ninja. She stood, looking down to where the attack landed in time to see twenty or more kunai and some shuriken come screaming towards her. Isako didn't have time to dodge. She brought her arms up to protect herself, but several of the kunai hit her with deadly force. She was sent backwards, falling off the branch she was on and hitting the ground with crushing force. She coughed once, her eyes widening in pain. Then Umatatsu Isako was silent.

The ninja from the Hidden Falls moved towards her. He looked at her and poked her body with his toe.

"A shame," he said. "I didn't mean to kill you…"

At that moment, he heard shouting and running feet heading towards him. He recognised one of the voices as that of the Leaf Jounin that Isako had been with when they attacked. He looked once more at the motionless body, then turned and disappeared into the forest.

Gai was there in the next second. He rushed to Isako's side.

"Is she… is she dead?" asked Tenten. Gai felt for a pulse.

"No! Not quite! Quickly, we must get her help."

"What about the Falls ninja?" Neji asked. He was using his Byakugan to watch the retreating ninja.

"We must get Isako to help, and I cannot send you Genin after him alone without knowing his ability. He will escape for now. Help me." With Neji's help, he lifted the fallen Smoke ninja up and they rushed back towards where Kakashi and Genma were just finishing off their opponents.


	16. The Deadly Oni Tsurugi

**16- The Deadly Oni Tsurugi**

Ketsume released the hold on Sharino's neck for a second and she drew a deep breath. Tears were in her eyes; tears caused by the lack of air, and the burning pain at her neck, but also tears of failure.

"Which clan bears the Kagirinai Rensetsu!" he shouted. Sharino glared at him, but was silent. Kenshin had been strong. He had withheld the information, though he surely knew the answer. She had to do the same. As she stared at Ketsume, she saw hope flicker behind him. A familiar figure with a sword.

"Hikoboshi no Mai. _Dance of the Altair_," said the familiar voice. Ketsume whirled to see Reiboshi standing behind him, the Oni Tsurugi, demon sword, in his hand. His chest was burnt, with a bad wound, but he was alive, and he could still fight.

The blade of the Oni Tsurugi looked to be fluid, changing continuously as Reiboshi fixed his gaze on Ketsume and began to run towards him. Ketsume started to dodge, but Reiboshi swung the sword around to where he was dodging. Ketsume practically fell onto Reiboshi's blade. He could alter it as his will, this time changing the blade to be thin and sharp, cutting straight through Ketsume's neck with the slightest effort.

The Cloud ninja was not to be defeated that easily, though. He had used a Kawarimi, and now appeared on the branch behind him. Reiboshi span around, jumping up into the air.

"Insei no Mai! _Dance of the Falling Star_," he called as he started falling down towards Ketsume at incredible speed. As he dropped, terrifying phantom flames formed an aura around him. The Oni Tsurugi was held out in front of him, its blade aiming straight at Ketsume's throat.

This time the Cloud Jounin had no way of escaping, but he managed to move just enough that the blade pierced his right shoulder instead of severing his head. He screamed in pain, jumping off the branch away from his two opponents, landing on the ground, forming a technique as he did.

Sharino managed to get to her feet and the two Smoke Jounin jumped away from the incoming lightning strike. They landed together, looking at the Cloud Jounin who still showed no signs of giving up, despite his wounds.

"Reiboshi, summon an Asura," said Sharino. The Asura were the fighting demons. All members of the Yumeda clan with the Kagirinai Rensetsu could summon them to help in battle. Sharino would have summoned Umakaze, but she didn't think she had enough chakra left. Reiboshi shook his head.

"I'm too low on chakra," he said. Sharino cursed, but then a spark of inspiration hit her.

"Then we should use _that_ technique!" she said to him. Reiboshi looked at her and a smile crossed his face.

"Yeah!" he said, nodding. Sharino bit her left-hand thumb and Reiboshi bit his right-hand thumb, drawing blood and swiping a streak of the blood along a tattoo on his left arm. Then, they linked their other hands in a seal they had practiced when Sharino was still a Chuunin but they had never used in battle.

"Ninpou!" they shouted simultaneously, "Kyoudou Ashura Uma Koumajutsu! _Joint Asura Horse Demon Invocation_." Both slammed their free hands onto the branch in front of them. Around their hands, the black symbols of the Kuchiyose technique appeared, and there in the clearing in front of them, a giant black horse with wings and red eyes was suspended in the air. Still with their hands linked in the seal, Reiboshi and Sharino used their remaining chakra to command the giant demon.

The horse turned its eyes on Ketsume, who couldn't move, transfixed by the stare of the Asura. Then the giant black horse opened its mouth, revealing two rows of sharp white teeth. The demon horse seemed to take a deep breath. When it breathed out again, a fire came with it that was far hotter than any Katon jutsu could be, and far more devastating. The flames licked around the Cloud ninja and he screamed in pain as the flames burnt the flesh from his bones.

Sharino and Reiboshi stood on their branch, shielding their heads from the hot wind and smoke generated by the fire.

Eventually, it subsided, and they dropped to the ground. The demon horse vanished, returning to whatever dimension it had come from, but it was no longer needed. Barely more than a roughly human-shaped pile of ash, Ketsume was well and truly dead. Sharino retrieved her Katana and sheathed it, then, arms around each other for support, the two Smoke Jounin slowly made their way back to the clearing where Kakashi and Genma had fought.

---

Sasuke and Naruto looked worn out, Kakashi thought, as he looked his Genin over. He went over to them, to check that they were not seriously harmed.

"Are you all ok?" he asked. Naruto smiled and laughed.

"I'm totally fine!" he said. Kakashi smiled. Sasuke and Sakura just nodded.

"It's over now. I'm going to stay out here to check there are no more, and to find Sharino and Reiboshi. You three go back to the Smoke village and let them know they're safe."

"Yes, sir," said Sakura. They stood up and left the clearing.

Genma walked over to Kakashi, and they stood for a moment looking at the body of Jirou. They were about to start off towards where Sharino and Reiboshi had gone, when they heard a voice behind them.

"Kakashi," shouted Gai, rushing into the clearing and laying the unconscious Smoke ninja on the ground. Kakashi and Genma rushed to their side, quickly assessing her situation. Genma plucked some bandages out of his pouch and tried to bind the wounds, but she had already lost a lot of blood.

"We need to get her to a hospital right away," he said, looking at the ninja's pale face.

"Isako!" Sharino shouted, seeing what had happened as she entered the clearing and breaking away from Reiboshi's supporting arm to rush to her sisters' side. "What happened," she asked, looking over the wounds.

"One of the Jounin among the missing nin managed to separate her from the group. We don't know what happened, but we found her like this and he was gone." Reiboshi appeared at their side.

"Sharino," he said. "Umakaze could get her to the hospital in time," he said. Sharino looked at him, knowing that he was right but also knowing that she had little chakra left, barely enough to summon a miniature pony.

"I don't know if I can. I used the Goken Toujin. I don't have enough chakra." Reiboshi looked at her. He would have helped her if he could, but he only had a contract with the Asura and could not summon Umakaze for her, or even help her to. Their special joint summon was only possible through his contract with the Asura and hers with the horses.

"You have to try," he said, looking at her. "You didn't think you could use the Goken Toujin when you first became a Chuunin," he said. Sharino looked at him, the memory coming clearly to her mind of the first time, with Reiboshi's help and training that she had used the Goken Toujin technique.

>>>

Three years ago 

"This is a very special Katana, Sharino, where did it come from?" said Reiboshi when his excited friend and student had showed it to him.

"From the Kazekage. He gave it to my father for me when I was five," she replied. Reiboshi was examining the blade carefully.

"I believe I can train you to use it," he said, handing it back to her, hilt first. "That is why you came, isn't it?" he said. She grinned.

"You're the only one I know in the village who uses Katana techniques," she said. Reiboshi smiled, then nodded. He told her how to hold the Katana, forming a hand seal around the hilt, so that it would be easier to push her chakra into the blade.

"Will I have enough chakra? My father said I might not yet," she said, concentrating. Reiboshi smiled.

"You do. I believe in you." She looked at him with wide green eyes, then nodded, closing her eyes again and concentrating on flowing her chakra into the Katana blade. Slowly, the symbols on the blade lit up, gold. He smiled.

"Now," he said, pointing at a nearby tree. "Focus on whatever element you wish to release, and strike." Sharino walked slowly up to the tree, holding the Katana up in front of her. She paused a moment, bringing the Katana to an easier position to swing at the tree, and she concentrated hard.

"Doton!" she shouted. As she swung at the tree, a thin line of mud fell from the blade, hardly doing anything except making pattering noises on the dry earth below. She looked at Reiboshi for guidance.

"More, Sharino. You have more chakra than that. Believe in yourself!" She nodded, once more bringing the sword around to swing, gripping it tightly in both hands.

"Doton!" she shouted a second time, but this time as she swung into the tree trunk, an enourmous release of Earth sprang from the blade, cutting through the tree more than the Katana itself, forcing its way through the wood and bark. Sharino and Reiboshi jumped backwards as the tree buckled and fell.

"See, Sharino. You have enough!" Reiboshi said, laughing. His student smiled at him.

>>>

Sharino looked at Reiboshi, seeing the belief in his eyes, then she looked at her sister, lying, bleeding in the dirt: Dying. She bit at her thumb, reopening the previous wound. She made the seals and stared at Isako as she tried to gather all the chakra she had, summoning strength from every part of her.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" she shouted, her hand reaching the Earth. She didn't know how she had done it, but Umakaze stood in front of her.

She quickly explained to the horse what was needed, and gathered Isako into her arms, mounting the summoned horse and rushing her on towards the Smoke village. The Leaf ninja watched her go.

"Sharino has a larger supply of chakra than she thinks she does," said Reiboshi, explaining to Kakashi as the grey haired ninja gave him an inquisitive look. "She often holds back because she doesn't believe in herself." Kakashi nodded.

"No doubt because of her father," said Kakashi.

"Yes. Something like that," Reiboshi replied. Nearby, Gai's Genin were also staring after Sharino, somewhat awed by her ability to summon strength even through exhaustion. Only Neji looked unimpressed, but of course his eyes had already allowed him to see something of her chakra capacity.

"Sharino-san sure is strong," said Tenten. Gai smiled and put a hand on her shoulder, his eyes still looking at the trail of dust left by the Summoning's hoof beats.

"One day you could be as strong as her," he said to his female Genin. Tenten smiled. Neji grunted, his eyes closed as he refuted his Sensei's words.

"Sharino is a genius of her clan. She cannot be surpassed by one who is not a genius," he said.

"Yes she can! A genius can be defeated through hard work, and one day I will prove that to you!" Lee shouted. Gai looked at his two Genin and wondered. It was almost certain that, for the moment at least, Neji was the strongest in body, the genius of the Hyuuga clan. Lee's attempts at fighting him had all failed, often ending with the adorable Taijutsu specialist being badly hurt. Without Lee using his forbidden techniques and thus damaging himself, Neji would win. But Lee had never once let the Hyuuga's comments stop him or bring him down. It was much more debatable which was the strongest of mind.


	17. I am an Umatatsu!

**17- I am an Umatatsu!**

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were just starting up the path into the Smoke village when they heard galloping hoof beats behind them. They jumped to the side of the road as Sharino rushed past with Isako on the bay horse with the Smoke head protector. The three Genin looked at each other, curious, then they stared at the trail of dust left by the horse. The horse itself was no longer visible.

"Who was that?" asked Naruto.

"Umatatsu Sharino and Umatatsu Isako. Isako appeared injured," said Sasuke. His sharp eyes had been much better at picking out the faces of the riders than Naruto's.

"But where did that horse come from?" asked Sakura. Neither of her team mates answered, because they had no more idea than she did.

---

Sharino arrived at the hospital and rushed inside, carrying her older sister in.

"A Doctor! Please!" she shouted. Several people came rushing at once, taking Isako to one of the hospital rooms. When Sharino tried to follow, she collapsed to her knees, utterly drained. She tried to stand again, but instead she fell forward, a nurse catching her just as she drifted into unconsciousness.

---

Some while later, Umatatsu Isamu arrived at the hospital with Kakashi's Genin in tow. A doctor met them at the door, explaining the condition Isako and Sharino had been in when they arrived.

"Luckily, we were able to treat Isako-san in time. She should make a complete recovery. Sharino-san was just suffering from exhaustion. She will need to rest for a while, but she will also been fine." Isamu's face showed overwhelming relief as he was shown through to see his daughters. Sharino still seemed to be sleeping when they arrived, so Isamu went through to see Isako, who had just regained consciousness. Naruto stayed outside Sharino's hospital room, staring through the window at her sleeping form.

He had been there quite a long time already when Kakashi appeared behind him.

"How is she?" he asked.

"The doctor said she's exhausted. She's just sleeping." Kakashi nodded. The Genin was still staring at Sharino. "She must have fought so hard for her village," he said.

"Yeah," Kakashi whispered.

Kakashi left Naruto there for a while. When he returned to the main entrance of the hospital, Genma was just entering.

"Gai and his team are looking to make sure there are none of the Missing-Nin still in the village, but it appears they are all either defeated or gone. I doubt they will return, with their leader dead," Genma said. Kakashi nodded.

Isamu appeared from one of the corridors, heading towards Sharino's room.

"Kakashi-san. Were any of your Ninja hurt?" he said. Kakashi shook his head.

"No. A few cuts and bruises, and some very tired Genin, but they should be fine." Isamu looked relieved, but there was still worry evident in his face.

"I should never have let them convince me. I should have kept Isako in the village," he said. Genma smiled.

"According to Maito Gai, she single-handedly fought a Jounin from the Hidden Waterfall village. She is not weak, to need protecting. You should be proud of her. Of both your daughters." Isamu smiled at him.

"I am, but at the same time I almost wish they were not so strong. Since Naomi, their mother, disappeared I had trouble with Isako. I did not know how to raise a daughter alone. When I found that I had another daughter in Sunagakure… It has almost been too much for me. Sometimes I believe she wishes she were still in the Sand village."

"Sharino is a member of the Umatatsu clan in heart as well as name," said Genma. "Over the past few days she has fought for this village and she has fought for her home, not just for her family's home. It is in her eyes that Kemurigakure is her heart's true home… even if it was not originally so. Also, I do not believe Umakaze, the Wind-Horse Summoning of the Smoke village, would so easily obey one whose heart lay elsewhere." Isamu looked into Genma's eyes and smiled.

"Thank you, Shiranui Genma. I believe you have repaid your debt to me and my family ten-fold." Genma bowed to Isamu and thanked him.

"I only wish your brother could still be here," he replied.

---

As Naruto stared into the room at Sharino, he saw her twitch. Slowly the young Jounin opened her eyes and sat up. Naruto entered hurriedly, amazed that she was awake so quickly, even though the doctors had said she would not wake up for at least a day. It was usually only him that surpassed everyone's expectations in such a way.

However, as he ran into the room and to her bedside, it was obvious that it had been an effort of will to regain consciousness.

"Isako," she croaked, looking at Naruto, but hardly registering him. Naruto, unsure as to how Sharino's sister was told her that he'd find out and ran from the room, heading back towards the hospital's entrance.

---

"Kakashi-sensei!" a young Genin voice shouted. A second later, the owner of the voice appeared, panting as he pointed back down the corridor towards Sharino's room. "Sharino Nee-chan is awake!" he said. Isamu smiled as he followed Naruto back to his daughter.

"You seem to have over-done it a little," said Isamu, smiling as he entered the room. Sharino smiled, sitting up weakly. She looked very tired and weak, very different from the Sharino that had told Nekoya he was too tired to fight. Seeing that her father was not worried, she knew that Isako was not dead. However, her wounds had not been trivial, so she asked after her.

"She will be fine," said Isamu. "The Medical Ninja are still with her, but they say you got her here in time." Sharino sighed with relief then asked about the Missing-Nin.

"Are they all gone?" she asked.

"The other team are out in the forest checking there are no more, but we believe they are all gone now," Kakashi told her. She looked drained, he thought. Like when he used the Sharingan for too long or if he used the Raikiri too many times in one day. Reiboshi had told him about the Asura summoning that they had performed. To do that and then summon as powerful an animal as Umakaze would wear almost anyone out. He was amazed at her chakra capacity. It rivaled his own, despite his advantage of years and experience.

Naruto sensed the tension between Sharino and her father as they looked at each other.

"I am sorry I did not tell you about the Sand ninja before," she said.

"It's all right," said Isamu, moving to her bedside and sitting on a chair that had been left there. "I know you did not mean to hide it from me. It's just that sometimes I feel like your loyalties still lie there. Especially when I see you still practising the Fuuton jutsu you learned from them." She smiled at him.

"The Wind country is not the only country allowed to use Fuuton techniques. I find them useful. Often more so than some of the techniques I have learned here. That is all. This is my home."

"I know that now, Sharino. You fought well today. I am very proud of you." Sharino looked up into her father's eyes, finally hearing those words that she had wanted to hear from him for so long. Her arms were up and around his neck before he knew what had hit him and Naruto smiled to see that the powerful young Kunoichi was still human after all. Isamu looked uncomfortable and unsure of what to do for a second, but then he smiled, returning the gesture and placing his arms around his daughter.

A few seconds later, Kakashi and Genma returned to the room. "The other team have returned," Genma told Isamu. "They say that although a few of the Missing-Nin did manage to escape, they are only a handful. I don't think they will be bothering you again." Isamu smiled gratefully.

"Where are they?" he asked

"They are preparing to return to Konoha. They were not given this as a mission officially, so if they do not return soon, Hokage-sama may worry about what has happened to them." Isamu nodded.

"Sharino, I will return shortly. I must say goodbye to Gai and his team." Sharino smiled.

"Of course. Thank them from me. They played a large part in saving Isako. Send them my fare-well, also." Isamu nodded and left.

"There was another Konoha team here?" Naruto asked in disbelief. Kakashi nodded. Sakura and Sasuke now appeared at the door to see Sharino as well, and Kakashi told them all to wait there where he went with Isamu to say goodbye to his Leaf comrades.

Gai and his team were standing in the street with Nekoya, who was asking Lee all about the battle, very disappointed that he had missed it.

"Ah! Kakashi!" said Gai, turning to him. "I see you also were able to defeat a number of enemies with your Genin. As expected of my eternal rival!" he said, winking and showing a grin full of white teeth.

"Huh?" said Kakashi, joining the group. "Did you say something?" Gai growled and turned away from him. 'You are too cool and annoying, Kakashi,' he thought.

"Thank you for all you have done here," said Isamu to the four of them. "We would not still be here if you had not." Gai smiled and nodded.

"It was our pleasure to help Konoha's allies in their struggle!" said Lee proudly.

"My daughters and I wish you a safe journey home," Isamu said. The green-clad Jounin and his three Genin smiled, accepting the wish, and saying their own good-byes before turning and walked off down the street, back on their way to Konoha.

Gai felt extremely proud of his team and all they had done. They had acquitted themselves excellently against some very powerful opponents. With the Chuunin exams rapidly approaching, he was sure, now, that they were ready. And, more importantly than that, he felt that all of them had learned something from this struggle in the Smoke. Perhaps even Neji. Only time would tell, of course, but he had a feeling that soon Neji would learn what Lee already knew. That self-belief was more important than genius.

---

Before he was told to leave her alone to rest, Naruto stole a few moments alone with Sharino. Despite her fatigue, she seemed content. He smiled at her.

"I'm glad that you and your father patched things up," he said. Sharino smiled.

"So am I. Thank you, Naruto-kun." Naruto blinked, confused.

"Huh? What did I do?" Sharino smiled, her smile still weak, but her eyes twinkled. She did not answer. She didn't tell him that watching him fight with all he had, just to prove that he was worth something to the world, had done more to help her than he could ever know. Seeing him fight when no one else expected anything from him reminded her of what was important… strength meant nothing without that determination and will. Instead of telling him what, instinctively, he already knew, she just smiled at him.

"One day they will acknowledge you. Even if they don't already." Naruto's face was thoughtful as he retreated, leaving the exhausted ninja to sleep.

---

The next morning, Sharino, walking with the help of crutches, her father, Reiboshi and Nekoya were all there to see Naruto and the remaining Konoha Ninja on their way home. They had all been tired, so Kakashi had decided that they would rest the night in the Smoke village before returning home.

"I am glad you came," said Nekoya, looking at Naruto as he said it. The two boys grinned at each other and Naruto chuckled.

"I, too, am very glad you came," said Sharino. "Thank you."

"When I'm Hokage, I'll make sure we stay allies forever!" said Naruto, one hand holding his forehead protector in affirmation. Sharino smiled at him and nodded.

"I hope we meet again, Naruto-kun," she said. Their good-byes said, the five Konoha Ninja started away from the Smoke village, heading back to Konoha.

As they walked away, Naruto started babbling, his excitement from the mission barely faded.

"When we get back to Konoha, I'm going to have Iruka-sensei buy me some Ramen," he said. "And then I'm going to train and train… and then and then, I'm going to… aaaahhhh!" he said, tripping over a tree branch that had strayed onto the path.

"Look where you're going, you total moron," said Sasuke.

Watching as they left, Sharino laughed lightheartedly at the spirited young boy.

"It's as you say, Reiboshi," she said, looking at her friend. Reiboshi smiled at her, nodding. He had been watching too.

"Boys will be boys."

**The End**


End file.
